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Brooks, Tinder slam Attorney General Rokita for baseless claims
Former U.S. Congresswoman Susan Brooks and former federal judge John Tinder, in a Wall Street Journal column Wednesday, excoriated Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita for his investigation of the physician who oversaw an abortion on a 10-year-old rape survivor from Ohio. Rokita first announced his office was investigating Indianapolis obstetrician-gynecologist Dr. Caitlin Bernard on Fox […]
Rokita consultant hired, but facing $18,000 in lobbyist registration fines
A conservative policy activist and consultant working on contract for Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita’s office was hired as a lobby-exempt, full-time employee after she mistakenly registered as a lobbyist for the wrong entity — but faces $18,000 in related fines. Erin Tuttle was nearly a year into her two-year, $200,000-maximum contract, which includes “Contractor […]
Pandemic-hit homeowners say state program saved houses: “It should be on a billboard”
John Bauer’s salvation came as a phone call. The Porter County resident had been out of work since the pandemic first blasted into the Chicago area, where he’d worked as a tile-setter. Bauer said he resisted applying for unemployment benefits, but folded as the pandemic dragged longer. Illinois ended its federally enhanced unemployment benefits in […]
Anti-Common Core activist failed to register as lobbyist for Rokita’s office
A Hoosiers Against Common Core co-founder turned policy consultant and state contractor mistakenly registered as a lobbyist for the city of Indianapolis rather than the state of Indiana, Attorney General Todd Rokita’s office has confirmed. Erin Tuttle formed Tuttle Consulting, LLC, on August 16, 2021, according to Indiana Secretary of State records. Just one week […]
Will pro-legislature elections theory in SCOTUS case come to Indiana?
North Carolina’s Republican-dominated General Assembly may be all-in on the once-fringe legal theory that the U.S. Supreme Court plans to consider this fall, but it doesn’t appear Indiana is headed that way anytime soon. The court in Moore v. Harper will decide if the U.S. Constitution gives only state legislative bodies the power to regulate […]
Indiana planning first opioid settlement payout
Indiana received its first payment from its share of a national, $26 billion settlement with opioid manufacturers and distributors in mid-July, and expects to receive two more this year. Local governments could see their first payments this year. “The plan is to distribute all of that money at one time, rather than distribute payments piecemeal,” […]
Public health commission hopes report translates to laws
Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb’s Public Health Commission on Thursday released its long-awaited final report examining the state’s public health infrastructure and outcomes, which commission leaders hope translate into legislation come January. “Our goal is to build on the advantages that we currently know that we have here in the state and adjust the gaps that […]
U.S. Representative Jackie Walorski dies in car crash
U.S. Representative Jackie Walorski, R-2nd, was killed in a car crash Wednesday about 12:32 p.m. near Nappanee, a city south of South Bend. Two other occupants in Walorski’s vehicle, heading northbound, were identified as Zachery Potts, 27, Mishawaka, and Emma Thomson, 28, of Washington, D.C. Both worked for Walorski’s office. The driver of the other […]
Committee narrows picks for utility regulator commissioner
A nominating committee for the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission, the state’s powerful utility regulator, has sent a trio of picks to Gov. Eric Holcomb for consideration as a member of the agency’s five-person commission. The six-member nominating committee on Friday winnowed a slate of five candidates to three, ultimately voting to recommend: Justin Brugger, chief […]
Rokita’s TikTok legal battle part of array of contingency fee contracts
When Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita’s office jumped onto a multi-state, bipartisan investigation of social media giant TikTok, it wasn’t initially clear his office would outsource the work to a Washington, D.C.-based boutique legal firm for free — almost. “We’re going to find out whether or not the Chinese, and by definition, if you’re a […]
Parental notification law for minors’ abortions goes into effect
A Chicago-based federal appeals court on Wednesday ruled that Indiana can, for the first time, enforce a law requiring parental notification for minors getting abortions — five years after its passage. Indiana lawmakers passed the requirement in 2017’s Senate Enrolled Act 404. Planned Parenthood and Indiana and Kentucky sued shortly after, leading U.S. District Court […]
Democrat narrowly leads Secretary of State race, poll says
Democratic Secretary of State candidate Destiny Wells had a sliver of a lead over Republican Diego Morales in a poll of 800 likely November voters released Wednesday evening. Illinois-based boutique consulting firm ARW Strategies conducted the poll on behalf of Indianapolis-based political commentator Abdul-Hakim Shabazz. About 31% of respondents went for Wells, while 28% supported […]