Abdul-Hakim Shabazz: Score one for journalism and the good guys

Indy Politics has reached a settlement with Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita over access to the AG’s news conferences and media events.

Back in October, your favorite Indy Politics publisher and editor was not allowed to enter an Attorney General’s Office news conference about robocalls because the office did not consider me credentialed media.

I filed an informal and formal records request to find out what the attorney general considered credentialed, but got nowhere. So last month, the American Civil Liberties Union joined me in filing suit in federal court.

In a settlement reached this week, the Attorney General’s Office stipulated the following: The plaintiff (me) is not barred from future in-person press conferences held by the defendant and will be allowed admission consistent with terms and conditions used for other press or media.

This is a major victory for yours truly as well as for the media as a whole, as the attorney general should have never banned me in the first place. That’s especially true considering he labeled me a “gossip columnist who promotes disinformation so much so that he must disclaim his work as ‘gossip, rumor, and blatant innuendo.’”

This is also a total victory as it not only says I can get into future press conferences, but it states that Indy Politics qualifies as “other press or media.”

And as much as I disagreed with what the attorney general did, I will admit he was right in one area: Fighting the lawsuit would be a waste of taxpayer money. It was indeed a waste of valuable taxpayer resources and attorneys whose time could have been spent focusing on other matters.

I was asked why the attorney general decided to settle this case. To be honest, I don’t know. Especially when you take into account his earlier statements. What I am willing to speculate, though, is, as we got closer to depositions, his lawyers likely told Rokita it was not going to look good for him. So his best bet was to go ahead and move for a settlement as quickly as possible.

I want to personally thank the good folks over at the American Civil Liberties Union for taking up this case. They were a good group to work with, and I never questioned their dedication.

I also want to thank everyone who offered their support both inside and outside the Statehouse. And especially to those who aren’t necessarily big fans of yours truly but expressed their support for my First Amendment rights.

And by the way, this was the second victory I had with the AG. The first victory came from Public Access Counselor Luke Britt, who issued an informal opinion telling Rokita he had to get me the documents I requested regarding how his office determines who qualifies as credentialed media. Rokita tried to argue that, since I was suing him, I could get the documents in discovery. Luckily, Britt shot that one down,

So what’s next? Well, I wait to get notice of another Attorney General’s Office news conference and show up. I seriously doubt if I’ll be called on. Luckily, I tend to get the first questions in Statehouse news conferences. And while the attorney general is under no obligation to answer my questions, at least I will be in the room.

And let me close with this: For any government official, not just Rokita, if you want to keep me out of your news conferences, I suggest next time to try kryptonite.•

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Shabazz is an attorney, radio talk show host and political commentator, college professor and stand-up comedian. Send comments to ibjedit@ibj.com.

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