Report: Draft opinion suggests high court could overturn Roe
The draft opinion in effect states there is no constitutional right to abortion services and would allow individual states to more heavily regulate or outright ban the procedure.
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AG Rokita sues Black Lives Matter, accuses group of not handing over financial documents
Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita’s office said the lawsuit is part of an investigation launched in February into how the organization was using donations from Hoosiers.
Courts to begin move to new Community Justice Campus next week
The court said all non-jury, in-person court matters, with the exception of juvenile delinquency cases, will begin taking place Monday at the campus’ new courthouse in the Twin Aire neighborhood, three miles from downtown.
In-house legal departments spending more for outside counsel expertise
The Corporate Legal Operations Consortium’s 2021 State of the Industry Survey found spending on outside law firms nearly doubled from the previous year.
Ochoa named interim dean of IU Maurer School of Law
Christiana Ochoa, who is currently the executive associate dean of the law school, will start her tenure as interim dean July 1.
Crawford County judge involved in 2019 Indy shooting ends reelection bid after ‘incident’
Sabrina R. Bell of the Crawford Circuit Court announced Wednesday that she was ending her reelection campaign, just weeks before the May 3 primary election. Bell was first elected in November 2016.
Nassar victims seeking $130M from FBI over bungled probe
Thirteen sexual assault victims claim a bungled investigation by federal agents led to more abuse by the former sports doctor for Michigan State University and Indianapolis-based USA Gymnastics.
Tougher federal environmental review for big projects to be restored
A rule finalized Tuesday will restore key provisions of the National Environmental Policy Act, an environmental law designed to ensure community safeguards during reviews for a wide range of federal proposals.
Immigration court coming to Indianapolis in 2023, DOJ says
Currently, immigration cases from Indiana are sent to the Chicago Immigration Court in Illinois. The new court will serve the state of Indiana and have about 40 employees, the U.S. Department of Justice confirmed.
Federal judge voids mask mandate for planes, other travel
The judge’s decision freed airlines, airports and mass transit systems to make their own decisions about mask requirements, resulting in a mix of responses.
U.S. businesses get hit with record numbers of disability lawsuits
Associations and business owners say serial plaintiffs filing dozens or hundreds of cases are increasingly using the 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act to extract tens of thousands of dollars in settlements—and not to promote access as the landmark law intended.
Former Seven Corners employee sentenced for role in fraud scheme
Maria Caceres, who worked for travel insurance company Seven Corners from 1998 to 2016, pleaded guilty to wire fraud last year. She was sentenced to federal prison Thursday and ordered to repay more than $496,000 to Seven Corners.
Citizens Energy teams with city, state leaders to announce lawsuits aimed at ‘bad actor’ apartment owners
The landlords are many months and more than $2 million behind on utility bills, putting more than a thousand households at risk of homelessness should Citizens Energy Group cut utility services to the complexes.
Citizens Energy sues apartment complexes for $1.3M in unpaid bills
The lawsuit also alleges that the owners of the complexes defrauded both Citizens Energy Group and residents by collecting payments that the owners said would go to utilities—but didn’t.
Former state senator Waltz pleads guilty to felony campaign finance violations
Former state Sen. Brent Waltz pleaded guilty on Monday to two felonies related to an FBI investigation into his role in receiving illegal campaign donations from a casino.
Appeals court OKs Biden’s federal employee vaccine mandate
The administration argued that the Constitution gives the president, as the head of the federal workforce, the same authority as the CEO of a private corporation to require that employees be vaccinated.
Jackson confirmed as first Black female high court justice
The Senate confirmed Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court on Thursday, shattering a historic barrier by securing her place as the first Black female justice and giving President Joe Biden a bipartisan endorsement for his effort to diversify the court.
Indiana Supreme Court weighing dispute over emergency law
The Indiana Supreme Court heard oral arguments on Thursday from both parties’ attorneys over the merits of who has the constitutional right to call a special session.
Appeals court rules Indiana not liable for AG Hill’s misconduct
Three of the four women who accused former Indiana Attorney General Curtis Hill of groping them cannot sue the state, the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled, finding the legislative staffers were employed by the Indiana House and Senate, not the state itself.
Former Indiana AG Hill leading mock grand jury against Fauci, website says
Former Indiana Attorney General Curtis Hill has, until recently, kept a relatively low profile since he lost his re-election bid at the 2020 Indiana GOP convention, when Republicans selected Attorney General Todd Rokita as their nominee.