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Rokita under investigation by state Disciplinary Commission, according to attorney petition

Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita waves in acknowledgment to people in the Indiana House Chamber. Rokita is a White man with dark hair, wearing a suit.
Brandon Smith
/
IPB News
A Marion County judge ruled in 2022 that Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita violated state law by breaching confidentiality in an investigation of Dr. Caitlin Bernard.

Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita is under investigation by the state Supreme Court Disciplinary Commission.

That confirmation, first reported by the Indiana Citizen, comes from a petition by a Washington, D.C. attorney to represent Rokita.

The filing does not say exactly what Rokita is being investigated for. But it’s related to cases involving Dr. Caitlin Bernard, who made national news after providing abortion care to a 10-year-old rape victim from Ohio.

Bernard is now defending her medical license in front of the state Medical Licensing Board, following an investigation by Rokita’s office. A lawsuit Bernard filed in state court last year to halt that investigation was unsuccessful, though a county judge did rule that Rokita violated state law by publicly discussing the matter before his office filed an official complaint.

READ MORE: Judge rules Rokita violated law, but denies abortion care provider's request to halt investigation

The attorney discipline process is a lengthy one and the vast majority of complaints against lawyers are dismissed.

Rokita's predecessor, Curtis Hill, had his law license temporarily suspended while serving as attorney general by the Indiana Supreme Court, following a Disciplinary Commission investigation.

Brandon is our Statehouse bureau chief. Contact him at bsmith@ipbs.org or follow him on Twitter at @brandonjsmith5.

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Brandon Smith has covered the Statehouse for Indiana Public Broadcasting for more than a decade, spanning three governors and a dozen legislative sessions. He's also the host of Indiana Week in Review, a weekly political and policy discussion program seen and heard across the state. He previously worked at KBIA in Columbia, Missouri and WSPY in Plano, Illinois. His first job in radio was in another state capitol - Jefferson City, Missouri - as a reporter for three stations around the Show-Me State.