John Krull commentary: Todd Rokita keeps digging holes for him to fall into
With all the time, energy and money Todd Rokita devotes to dealing with the petty feuds he’s started, the crises he’s created for himself and the self-manufactured scandals in which he’s engulfed, does he have any left to spend doing the people’s business as Indiana’s attorney general? Marilyn Odendahl of The Indiana Citizen just reported that Rokita is working to both delay and escalate his persecution of Dr. Caitlin Bernard. (Disclosure: TheStatehouseFile.com and The Indiana Citizen have a partnership.) Bernard is the Indiana doctor who last summer performed an abortion for a 10-year-old Ohio rape victim. Bernard did so at the request…
Attorney General Rokita seeks to depose Indy Star reporter in Bernard licensing case
By Marilyn Odendahl The Indiana Citizen May 11, 2023 The request Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita’s office made in late April to delay the case against Caitlin Bernard pending before the Indiana Medical Licensing Board came after an apparent change in the state’s lead counsel and accompanied a push to reopen some of the previous discovery and depose additional individuals including a reporter for The Indianapolis Star. In an order filed April 28, the medical licensing board denied the motion filed by the attorney general’s office to postpone the May hearing until August. The board also turned down Bernard’s motion to prevent…
Attorney General’s office authored amendment that seeks to end lawsuit against Rokita
By Marilyn Odendahl The Indiana Citizen May 5, 2023 A 56-word provision authored by the Indiana Attorney General’s office and dropped late into the biennial budget bill appears to be an attempt to short circuit a lawsuit aimed at forcing Attorney General Todd Rokita to turn over a report about his former employment with Apex Benefits. The provision states that informal advisory opinions from the Indiana Office of the Inspector General to current, former or prospective state employees and officials are confidential. The language then goes a step farther by including a retroactive clause that makes advisory opinions previously issued…
Rokita adds GOP powerhouse Bopp as outside counsel in battle over Inspector General report — but thanks to lawmakers, he might have won already.
By Marilyn Odendahl The Indiana Citizen April 28, 2023 Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita has hired James Bopp, a nationally recognized attorney championing Republican causes, to represent him in the fight to keep confidential an Indiana Inspector General’s report about his previous employment with Apex Benefits. Bopp along with attorneys Courtney Turner Milbank and Melena Sue Siebert, all from The Bopp Law Firm based in Terre Haute, filed an appearance April 26 notifying the Court of Appeals of Indiana they will be representing Rokita in Tully v. Rokita, 23A-PL-00705. Also, Benjamin Jones, the deputy attorney general who had been representing…
County court battle between Rokita and physicians ends with judge’s order
The Marion County Circuit Court has granted Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita’s request to end his effort to change another judge’s finding that as the state’s top lawyer, he violated confidentiality by making repeated public statements about his office’s investigation into Caitlin Bernard, M.D. Marion County Circuit Judge Amber Collin-Gebrehiwet filed her order April 26 which granted Rokita’s notice of withdrawal of motion. The case that was brought by Bernard and her colleague Amy Caldwell, M.D., is now closed. Through her attorney, Matthew Gutwein, partner at DeLaney & DeLaney, Bernard declined to comment. As Rokita did in his notice of withdrawal, the…
Rokita ends court fight against finding that he violated confidentiality
April 21, 2023 After hiring outside counsel and presenting oral arguments to the judge, Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita is withdrawing his motion to remove a trial court’s finding that he violated state confidentiality laws when he publicized his office’s investigation into OB/BYN Caitlin Bernard. The state’s top lawyer filed a notice of withdrawal with the Marion Circuit Court Friday. A brief providing the legal arguments in favor of withdrawal is expected to be filed later today but the notice asserts the motion is no longer necessary. Rokita had been seeking to amend a portion of the Marion County Superior Court’s…
Rokita’s court fight against finding that he violated confidentiality takes another twist in Marion County hearing
For the first time since the Marion County Superior Court issued an order in December 2022 which found, in part, that Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita violated a state confidentiality law, attorneys representing the state’s top lawyer and Indianapolis OB/GYN Caitlin Bernard were back before a judge Tuesday morning arguing over whether the trial court could reopen the case to remove the finding against Rokita. The hearing in Bernard et al. v. Rokita, et al, 49D13-2211-MI-038101, was held in Marion County Circuit Court before Judge Amber Collins-Gebrehiwet in the Community Justice Center (above) in Indianapolis. Christopher Bartolomucci, partner at Schaerr…
Four attorneys assigned to abortion-related litigation resign from Indiana AG’s office
By Casey Smith Indiana Capital Chronicle April 4, 2023 With key hearings scheduled in licensing and civil litigation against Indianapolis OB-GYN Dr. Caitlin Bernard this month, the Indiana Attorney General’s Office will be down four attorneys who worked on the case but have now resigned. Three of the four were section chiefs for Attorney General Todd Rokita (above). The Indiana Auditor’s Office — which is notified of personnel changes for payroll purposes — confirmed the recent departures. Rokita’s office did not respond to numerous requests for information, including resignation letters, but the attorney general himself denied that the staff resignations…
Rokita’s fight to overturn judge’s finding moves to yet another court, is set for hearing April 11
Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita’s fight to overturn a trial court’s finding that he violated a state confidentiality law has been moved to another court – its third since the original complaint was filed in November 2022 – and set for a hearing April 11. Marion County Circuit Court Judge Amber Collins-Gebrehiwet is now presiding over the dispute between the attorney general and Indiana OB/GYN Caitlin Bernard over public statements Rokita (above) made about his office’s investigation into Bernard. Marion County Superior Court Judge Heather Welch in a December 2022 order found Rokita had violated Indiana Code section 25-1-7-10(a) which…
UPDATE: ROKITA’S TIES TO PRIVATE SECTOR EXCEED THOSE OF OTHER STATEWIDE ELECTED OFFICIALS, REPORTS SHOW
March 16, 2022 The following report was written for The Indiana Citizen by veteran Indiana legal journalist Marilyn Odendahl. Despite the public fallout from his decision to hold onto his job with Apex Benefits after taking office, Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita continues to maintain strong ties in the private sector. Rokita’s 2022 financial disclosure statement, filed in January 2023 with the Office of the Inspector General, reflects more outside interests than the statements filed by other statewide elected offices of governor, lieutenant governor, treasurer, auditor and secretary of state. His statement shows he owns a consulting business that carries his…
John Krull commentary: Todd Rokita, and the hole that goes all the way to China
Shovel salespeople must love Todd Rokita. Whenever Indiana’s attorney general digs himself into a hole, his response is to just keep scooping. It’s hard to know whether short-sightedness or some compulsion toward self-destructiveness drives this tendency of Rokita’s, but it does seem to be a pattern—one he cannot seem to control. If there is a way to make an unforced error, he will find it. We have seen that with the campaign of persecution he has waged against Dr. Caitlin Bernard, the Indiana doctor who performed an abortion for a 10-year-old Ohio girl who had been raped. Bernard did the…
MOONLIGHTING: ROKITA FIGHTS COURT ORDER TO RELEASE REPORT ON HIS PRIVATE EMPLOYMENT — EVEN THOUGH IT ALLOWS HIM TO REDACT AS MUCH AS HE WANTS.
The following report was written for The Indiana Citizen by veteran Indiana legal journalist Marilyn Odendahl. March 9, 2023 One day after being sworn in as Attorney General in January 2021, Todd Rokita asked a state watchdog agency, the Office of the Inspector General, for an opinion on his continued employment by his latest employer, Apex Benefits. Three days later, the IG issued its opinion, which Rokita said found no ethical violations with the private sector employment. Rokita nevertheless quit the Apex job, and more than two years later, refuses to release the opinion and is using attorneys on his staff…
Rokita questions ‘sterilizations’ at gender-affirming clinics
Above: Screenshot of Rokita video By Whitney Downard Indiana Capital Chronicle March 8, 2023 Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita on Tuesday inserted himself into the debate over gender-affirming care for minors – though recent testimony documented that surgeries on children don’t occur in Indiana. He said there have been “a series of disturbing reports” nationally alleging such procedures and sent letters to several Indiana medical facilities demanding more information on “alleged sterilization of Hoosier children.” “Our kids are precious gifts from God,” Rokita said in a statement. “We should all be concerned about the physical and chemical procedures being performed upon these minors, which in…
WHO’S PAYING FOR ROKITA’S DEFENSE? PROBABLY THE TAXPAYERS, BUT A.G. WON’T ADMIT IT.
The following report was written for The Indiana Citizen by veteran Indiana legal journalist Marilyn Odendahl. March 2, 2023 Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita acknowledges he is being investigated by the Indiana Supreme Court Disciplinary Commission and maintains he has done nothing wrong, but won’t say why he needs a Washington, DC law firm to defend him and whether Hoosiers will be paying the firm’s $550 per hour fee. “Complaints about the Attorney General’s approach were largely prompted by inaccurate public accounts of the facts and unawareness about the extent of the office’s legal authority,” a spokesperson for the attorney general’s…
UPDATE: ROKITA’S LATEST PROCEDURAL MOVE AGAINST DR. BERNARD IS “IMPROPER” AND A “GUISE,” SAY HER LAWYERS
The following report was written for The Indiana Citizen by veteran Indiana legal journalist Marilyn Odendahl. Feb. 27, 2023 Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita’s effort to “relitigate a single issue” in a court ruling he declared a “win” is being characterized as “improper” and a “guise,” in a filing Thursday by lawyers for Drs. Caitlin Barnard and Amy Caldwell, two OB/GYNs who perform abortion healthcare. Last month, Rokita moved to strike language in the order granting dismissal of the physicians’ case against him which found he “irreparably harmed” Dr. Barnard when he violated confidentiality rules. The plaintiffs in Bernard and Caldwell…
Rokita announces he will seek reelection as attorney general
Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita (above) announced through social media Wednesday that he will seek a second term as attorney general, forgoing runs that had been rumored for governor or the U.S. Senate. "Confirming I am seeking reelection in '24,'' Rokita posted to his Twitter account. "I am proud of my work bringing back nearly $1 billion to taxpayers in just over two years, fighting wokeism, protecting citizens and our jobs from federal overreach, bureaucrats and special interests while always standing up for liberty.'' Rokita, a Republican who served previously as Indiana secretary of state and a U.S. congressman representing…
Medical Licensing Board hearing on Rokita complaint against Bernard postponed to May 25
The Indiana Medical Licensing Board has granted a request to postpone until May 25 the hearing on the administrative complaint filed against Caitlin Bernard, the OB/GYN who has been accused by the Indiana attorney general of violating state and federal laws after she performed an abortion on a 10-year-old rape victim. In an order issued Feb. 10, the board granted the joint motion filed the same day by the attorney general’s office and Bernard’s attorneys asking the hearing to be rescheduled. Originally, the hearing had been set for Feb. 23. The postponement comes as Schaerr Jaffe, a Washington, D.C., law…
Rokita joins multi-state ATF lawsuit
By Whitney Downard Indiana Capital Chronicle Feb. 10, 2023 Attorney General Todd Rokita joined a multi-state lawsuit against the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), claiming a recent rule change infringes on Hoosiers’ gun rights. The federal agency amended rules in January for stabilizing braces and how their use meshes with the classification of a firearm as a rifle or short-barrel rifle. Frequently, the rear attachment on a firearm is used to shoot the weapon from the shoulder. The new classification puts certain pistols equipped with the brace under the same category as short-barreled rifles, which changes its governing regulations…
John Krull commentary: Todd Rokita and a second chance to make things right
People don’t always have a second chance to do the right thing. Neither do professions nor public institutions. Such a second opportunity, though, may present itself with the ongoing trainwreck that is the office of the Indiana attorney general. Marilyn Odendahl of The Indiana Citizen reported that the Indiana Supreme Court Disciplinary Commission is investigating Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita for various transgressions. (Disclosure: The Indiana Citizen and TheStatehouseFile.com have a partnership.) Odendahl’s scoop—which was revealed by the Washington, D.C. law firm Rokita has hired, using taxpayer funds, to defend him—establishes that Indiana’s attorney general nightmares aren’t over. Rokita is the second…
NEW FROM THE INDIANA CITIZEN: ROKITA UNDER INVESTIGATION BY DISCIPLINARY COMMISSION, OUTSIDE COUNSEL’S PETITION CONFIRMS
The following report was written for The Indiana Citizen by veteran Indiana legal journalist Marilyn Odendahl. February 8, 2023 Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita (above) is being investigated by the Indiana Supreme Court Disciplinary Commission and is paying a Washington, D.C., law firm to defend him, according to a petition filed Feb. 2 by his office’s outside counsel Schaerr Jaffe. Gene Schaerr, managing partner of the law firm, filed the petition with the Supreme Court asking for temporary admission so he can represent Indiana in the case Rokita brought before the medical licensing board against Indianapolis OB/GYN Caitlin Bernard. He…
John Krull commentary: Todd Rokita, tomcats and marriage licenses
Todd Rokita has neither sense nor shame. There seems not to be a stupid fight Indiana’s attorney general won’t pick or taxpayer money he won’t waste to fuel the endlessly running engine that is his ambition to gain higher office. The latest evidence that Rokita isn’t to be trusted either with a checkbook or to come in out of the rain can be found in his decision to hire—using Indiana taxpayer dollars—a rightwing boutique Washington, D.C., law firm to reopen a case the attorney general won. Marilyn Odendahl of The Indiana Citizen did some fine reporting and discovered that Rokita’s…
ROKITA WATCH: AG WILL PAY D.C. OUTSIDE COUNSEL TO HELP WITH BERNARD CASES
The following report was written for The Indiana Citizen by veteran Indiana legal journalist Marilyn Odendahl. February 3, 2023 Attorney General Todd Rokita has amended a contract with a Washington, D.C., law firm to pay up to an additional $100,000 to pursue his fight involving an Indianapolis physician who performs abortions. Rokita has asked a Marion County Superior Court to correct its “erroneous judicial finding” that he should not have publicly disclosed his office’s investigation into an Indiana OB/GYN. Rokita and Scott Barnhart, director of the Consumer Protection Division of the Indiana Attorney General’s office, filed a motion to strike Jan.…
Rokita files to correct court ‘error’ finding he violated Indiana law
By Whitney Downard Indiana Capital Chronicle Jan. 19, 2023 The legal saga between Attorney General Todd Rokita and a doctor who provided abortion healthcare to a 10-year-old Ohio rape victim continues after Rokita filed a motion to block the dismissal in order to correct an “error.” A court ruling from that case said that Rokita violated the law during a televised appearance in which he called the healthcare provider an “abortion activist acting as a doctor.” Rokita’s filing called the judge’s order an “erroneous finding.” Following his appearance on Fox News, the Consumer Protection Division of the Attorney General’s Office received complaints echoing…
Rokita on Holcomb’s State of the State: ‘A better way to improve reading & education is not pushing more money at the problem’
https://twitter.com/AGToddRokita/status/1612996487255916544
Judge orders Rokita to publicly release inspector general’s report about former job
By Casey Smith Indiana Capital Chronicle Jan. 5, 2023 An informal advisory opinion issued to Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita (above) about the private-sector job he also held while beginning his term in state office must be made available to the public, a Marion County judge ruled this week. The decision comes nearly two years after a local voting rights activist made a push for the document to be released. Barbara Tully originally asked the attorney general’s office for a copy of the opinion, but the office denied her public records request. Marion County Superior Court Kurt Eisgruber said in…
Indiana Medical Licensing Board schedules Bernard hearing in ongoing abortion case
By Casey Smith Indiana Capital Chronicle Jan. 3, 2023 The Indiana Medical Licensing Board will take up a complaint next month against an Indianapolis doctor who is at the center of a controversial abortion case. The hearing, which is set for Feb. 23, moves the board one step closer toward a decision about the doctor’s medical license and other penalties. Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita (above) maintains that Dr. Caitlin Bernard, an OB-GYN, “failed to immediately report the abuse and rape of a child to Indiana authorities” after performing the abortion on a 10-year-old girl from Ohio in June. An investigation by…
Indianapolis doctor drops lawsuit against Rokita, citing judge’s ruling that AG broke the law
By Casey Smith Indiana Capital Chronicle Dec. 8, 2022 Lawyers for an Indianapolis doctor on Thursday said they would voluntarily withdraw a lawsuit against Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita because the case has now shifted to an administrative licensing action. Marion County Superior Court Judge Heather Welch ruled last week that he caused “irreparable harm” to the OB-GYN’s reputation and professional standing. But ultimately she chose not to block an investigation into Dr. Caitlin Bernard — who performed an abortion on a 10-year-old girl from Ohio in June. The doctor has maintained that she is being targeted by Rokita and his office.…
Judge denies injunction blocking investigation into OB-GYN but finds Rokita violated confidentially laws
By Casey Smith Indiana Capital Chronicle Dec. 2, 2022 A Marion County judge on Friday chose not to block an investigation into two Indianapolis-based doctors who say they are being targeted by Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita. But while Marion County Superior Court Judge Heather Welch denied an injunction she did find that Rokita violated state confidentiality laws when he publicly discussed his office’s ongoing investigation into Dr. Caitlin Bernard. The judge said the attorney general’s statements caused Bernard “irreparable harm” to her reputation and professional standing. The court’s decision came two days after the Republican attorney general sent a complaint…
John Krull commentary: Indiana’s attorney general and other natural disasters
It’s time to take Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita seriously. I don’t mean that in a good way. I often have made fun of Rokita’s constant grasping for power and political advancement, his increasingly pathetic attempts to win the favor of the rabid alt-right base that he thinks will propel him up the next rung of the ladder. He was easy to poke fun at because his maneuverings and motivations were so obvious and his need for some—any—validation from any pocket of voters was so desperate. He was like the heavy in a comic strip. So, I made jokes about…
Rokita advances complaint against Bernard to Indiana Medical Licensing Board
By Casey Smith Indiana Capital Chronicle Nov. 30, 2022 Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita (above) on Wednesday sent a complaint against an Indianapolis-based doctor who is at the center of a controversial abortion case to the Indiana Medical Licensing Board. The Republican attorney general said in a statement that Dr. Caitlin Bernard, an OB-GYN, “failed to immediately report the abuse and rape of a child to Indiana authorities” after performing the abortion on a 10-year-old girl from Ohio in June. “Here, only Indiana authorities could have possibly stopped this little girl from being sent home to endure possible future harm…
Doctor who provided minor abortion care sues AG Rokita for ‘baseless investigation’
By Whitney Downard Indiana Capital Chronicle Nov. 3, 2022 Two Indianapolis doctors — including one at the center of a controversial abortion case over the summer — filed suit Thursday against Attorney General Todd Rokita (above) to block his office from continuing a “baseless investigation into physicians who provide abortion care.” The suit claims Rokita overstepped his statutory limits when investigating Dr. Caitlin Bernard, using meritless claims to launch an overly-broad investigation. The Attorney General’s office said Thursday it would defend itself in court. Bernard provided abortion care to a 10-year-old rape victim from Ohio after that state’s strict anti-abortion…
John Krull commentary: Hopalong Rokita has his usual dinner
Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita must find it hard to walk. The state’s lawyer doesn’t just put his foot in his mouth. He shoves it all the way down his throat and into his digestive track, which leaves him hopping clumsily around and falling frequently. Rokita’s latest instance of foot-in-intestines disease came when, for reasons known only to him, he decided to weigh in on a tweet by rapper Ye, formerly known as Kanye West. (Clearly, Rokita’s duties as attorney general do not give him enough work to keep him occupied. He seems to have endless amounts of time to…
Rokita draws backlash for tweets about Kayne West, Christopher Columbus
By Casey Smith Indiana Capital Chronicle Oct. 11, 2022 Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita (above) drew waves of backlash on social media after he tweet-praised Kanye West’s “independent thinking,” over the weekend and on Monday commended Christopher Columbus for “discovering America.” Rokita’s tweets — on his official state account — came just days after the rapper, who now goes by Ye, made remarks on Instagram and Twitter that were widely criticized as being antisemitic. Ye’s social media accounts have since been restricted for the posts. The Republican attorney general plunged himself into the chaos Sunday afternoon, tweeting a link to an…
Former Supreme Court staff attorney questions Rokita’s adherence to ethical standards in op-ed
A former staff attorney for the Indiana Supreme Court said in an Indiana Lawyer op-ed published Wednesday that Attorney General Todd Rokita may have violated three Indiana Rules of Professional Conduct in his public comments about a doctor who provided abortion services to a 10-year-old rape victim earlier this year. Paula Cordoza-Jones, who retired in 2016, wrote that after saying he would investigate Bernard's licensure and whether she failed to report the procedure properly, as well as describing her as "an abortion activist as a doctor with a history of failing to report,'' Rokita should have corrected his misstatements after…
John Krull commentary: Fun and games on someone else’s dime
Being attorney general in a lot of states—including, apparently, Indiana—must not be that demanding a job. Because these folks seem to have a lot of time on their hands. All too often, they use that time to drag their states into fights that are none of their business. In doing so, they spend their taxpayers’ money on often frivolous squabbles or personal quests for political advancement. Sometimes, the motives are even gamier. The amicus brief filed by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and signed by 10 other attorneys general—Indiana’s Todd Rokita among them—that protests the search of former President Donald…
Rokita: No “woke” ESG criteria allowed in pension investments
By Leslie Bonilla Muniz Indiana Capital Chronicle Sept. 2, 2022 Indiana and its investment managers can’t make government employee pension system investments based on environmental, social or governance criteria, Attorney General Todd Rokita (above) wrote in an advisory opinion released Thursday. Under state law, Rokita said, those decisions can only take Indiana employees and retirees’ financial interests into account. “Woke big businesses are collaborating with their leftist allies to subvert the will of the people,” Rokita said in a virtual event Thursday. “This includes investing Hoosiers’ pensions in ways that work against the best interest of Indiana families.” So-called ESG framework…
Brooks, Tinder slam Attorney General Rokita for baseless claims
By Leslie Bonilla Muniz Indiana Capital Chronicle August 12, 2022 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 News’ “Jesse Waters Primetime” on July 13, saying he was examining her license and implying she didn’t properly report the procedure. Though later news accounts confirmed Bernard had followed reporting requirements, Rokita said his office’s investigation continued. “A prosecutor should…
Anti-Common Core activist failed to register as lobbyist for Rokita’s office
By Leslie Bonilla Muniz Indiana Capital Chronicle August 9, 2022 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 later, on August 23, Tuttle and Chief Administrative Officer Larry Hopkins signed a two-year, maximum $200,000 contract for research, analysis and communications help for Rokita’s office. The $8,333-a-month contract went into effect August 30 of that year.…
Rokita’s TikTok legal battle part of array of contingency fee contracts
By: Leslie Bonilla Muniz Indiana Capital Chronicle August 1, 2022 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 Chinese company, then the [Chinese Communist Party] is a part of it, is intentionally grooming our children,” Rokita said in a March Fox Business appearance. “… If they’re grooming our kids to get hooked on…
Former IU law school dean calls for Rokita disciplinary investigation
By Casey Smith Indiana Capital Chronicle July 19, 2022 Indiana’s attorney general maintains he did nothing wrong after a former Indiana University provost and law school dean called for a disciplinary investigation into his televised statements about the doctor who oversaw a medication abortion for a 10-year-old rape victim from Ohio. Former IU Maurer School of Law Dean Lauren Robel alleged that Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita made “false or baseless” statements on Fox News about Indianapolis obstetrician-gynecologist Dr. Caitlin Bernard, according to a three-page letter sent Friday to the Indiana Supreme Court Disciplinary Commission. The letter was first-reported Monday by the Indianapolis…
AG Rokita receives ‘cease and desist’ from doctor in 10-year-old’s abortion
By Whitney Downard and Casey Smith Indiana Capital Chronicle July 15, 2022 An attorney representing an Indianapolis doctor has sent a cease-and-desist letter to Attorney General Todd Rokita (above, right) advising him to stop making false and misleading statements about the doctor who oversaw a medication abortion for a 10-year-old rape victim from Ohio. Rokita publicly announced he would investigate Dr. Caitlin Bernard, accusing her of not filing the proper paperwork after performing the medical procedure. Filings received through a public records request confirmed the appropriate forms had been filed. “We are especially concerned that given the controversial political context of the…
John Krull commentary: Todd Rokita’s chestnut horse
The explanation Indiana Attorney Todd Rokita offered for settling his silly, silly lawsuit with conservative commentator and radio talk show host Abdul-Hakim Shabazz reveals what Rokita thinks about his voters. He believes they are gullible. Really. Really. Really. Gullible. To paraphrase Abraham Lincoln, the attorney general is betting that his backers can’t tell the difference between a chestnut horse and a horse chestnut. Rokita writes in an opinion piece he sent around to news organizations that he settled the suit Shabazz and the American Civil Liberties Union of Indiana filed against him to save the taxpayers money and him time…
Rokita, Shabazz reach settlement on press-access lawsuit
Journalist Abdul-Hakim Shabazz has had his admission to press conferences with Attorney General Todd Rokita (above) restored—though he says he doubts he'll be called on for questions any time soon. The two reached an agreement before Shabazz v. Rokita could land in court. It stemmed from an October 2021 incident in which Rokita's staff barred Shabazz, an attorney and publisher of IndyPolitics.org, from entering a press conference given by the AG. They claimed he did not have the proper media credentials, even though Shabazz showed his press badge issued by the Indiana Department of Administration. The American Civil Liberties Union of Indiana sued on behalf of Shabazz in…
Shabazz v. Rokita lawsuit could hold long-term implications for journalists
The maneuvering continues in the federal lawsuit between Attorney General Todd Rokita and journalist Abdul-Hakim Shabazz (above) that a First Amendment expert says could hold significant implications for how the press covers public officials. The lawsuit—Shabazz v. Rokita—stems from an October incident in which staff in Rokita’s office barred Shabazz, an attorney and publisher of IndyPolitics.Org, from attending a press conference about another unrelated lawsuit that Rokita was filing. Earlier this month, Rokita filed a motion to dismiss the lawsuit, but the case still stands for now. The American Civil Liberties Union of Indiana is suing on behalf of Shabazz in the United States District…
John Krull commentary: Two big Todd Rokita bad habits
Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita has at least two annoying habits. One is picking senseless fights. The other is wasting taxpayer money. Our money. Both these character flaws are on display in Rokita’s dispute with conservative commentator, radio talk show host and gadfly Abdul-Hakim Shabazz. Their quarrel now has grown into a lawsuit. Let’s be clear about something. This is a stupid, stupid, stupid fight—and the stupidity is all on Rokita’s side. The squabble began last October when Abdul—in media circles, he goes almost exclusively by his first name—tried to attend a Rokita press conference. Rokita’s staff barred him from…
ACLU joins journalist Abdul-Hakim Shabazz in First Amendment lawsuit against AG Rokita
Last year, Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita denied journalist Abdul-Hakim Shabazz (above) entry to a press conference through a spokesperson, who said he was not “credentialed media.” Now Shabazz has filed a suit against the AG. Shabazz has been covering politics in Indiana for nearly two decades. Despite presenting state-issued media credentials, Shabazz was not allowed into the news conference and is still barred from the attorney general’s press conferences. On Monday, he joined the Indiana Civil Liberties Union in suing Rokita in U.S. District Court, alleging a violation of the First Amendment. The attorney general’s office released a response.…
Shabazz awaits response from AG Rokita, SPJ demands an apology
The Indiana Pro Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists is demanding an apology from Attorney General Todd Rokita (above) to journalist Abdul-Hakim Shabazz after excluding him from a news conference. Shabazz was denied access to Rokita’s press conference on robocalls on Thursday after receiving an invitation to the event and sending his RSVP. Shabazz said he was told that he was not credentialed media, adding that in his 30-year journalism career covering politics, this is the first time he has ever been told his Indiana Department of Administration access badge was not enough. The Indiana SPJ said in their…
Rokita press conference dispute raises questions about journalist access
Political commentator Abdul-Hakim Shabazz (above) says he was turned away from a press conference held by Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita on Thursday. Shabazz, editor and publisher of Indy Politics and an attorney, received an invitation to the press conference on robocalls and sent back his RSVP in time, according to his column yesterday, which raises questions about fair press access. The Indiana Attorney General’s office did not return an email for comment on Friday. Shabazz and Rokita had a civil relationship up until a Republican primary debate during Rokita’s unsuccessful bid for U.S. Senate in 2018, according to Shabazz’s…
John Krull commentary: Todd Rokita’s odd compulsion
When he was a small boy, Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita must have been the kind of kid who had to touch a hot stove multiple times before he figured out it burned. Time and age haven’t taught him much. The Indiana Supreme Court just rejected—for the second time—Rokita’s attempt to keep a lawsuit filed by Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb from moving forward. Holcomb sued the Indiana General Assembly for overriding his veto of a bill that violates the Indiana constitution by granting lawmakers the power to call the legislature back into session. The constitution clearly says only the governor…
Another volley of court filings in Holcomb-Rokita dispute over lawsuit
Gov. Eric Holcomb and Attorney General Todd Rokita (above) continued this week to release conflicting press statements and file court documents in their dispute over the constitutionality of the House Enrolled Act 1123 lawsuit. In April, Holcomb vetoed the bill that would limit his powers during a state of emergency like the COVID-19 pandemic. Shortly after the General Assembly overrode his veto, Holcomb filed a lawsuit against the General Assembly. Now the Office of the Attorney General has filed a court brief in Marion County Superior Court to strike the lawsuit. “These legal issues arose when the Governor unlawfully sued the Indiana General Assembly following…
John Krull commentary: Todd Rokita continues Indiana’s attorney general tradition
There must be something about the office of Indiana attorney general that attracts people who are, as my late grandfather used to say, “half a bubble off of plumb.” Back in the 1970s, the office was occupied by a martinet named Ted Sendak, who famously demanded that everyone call him “General.” He searched for communists under beds and found ways to strut even when he was sitting down. We Hoosiers just rid ourselves of Attorney General Curtis Hill. Hill moved through a celebration at the end of an Indiana General Assembly legislative session like a blind and drunk octopus. Hill…
Rokita files court motion to throw out Holcomb lawsuit against General Assembly
UPDATE: Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita has filed a motion for the Marion County Superior Court to strike down Gov. Eric Holcomb’s lawsuit against the Indiana General Assembly over HEA 1123. Rokita, a Republican, issued a statement April 27 saying the governor could not go to the courts because only the Office of the Indiana Attorney General can handle disputes between the state government branches. In a press release sent Friday, Rokita argued “the governor cannot merely sue the legislature over laws he does not like.” The governor’s office declined to comment since the litigation is pending. A spokesperson for the attorney general’s office said…
The AG: Rokita assumes an oft-misunderstood office
As Indiana’s statewide offices go, attorney general sounds pretty glamorous — the kind of job that might inspire a fast-paced, drama-filled television series. Alas, while it might get higher ratings than a series devoted to, say, Indiana’s auditor or treasurer, the show probably wouldn’t get renewed for a second season. Simply put, the Indiana attorney general’s office newly occupied by Todd Rokita isn’t what a lot of people think it is — and that statement applies not only to rank-and-file Hoosier voters but also, it seems, to at least some of the politicians who have sought, and even held, the…