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Rokita Asks Supreme Court To Intervene In Emergency Powers Lawsuit

Brandon Smith
/
IPB News

Attorney General Todd Rokita is trying again to block the governor’s lawsuit over an emergency powers law.

Rokita is asking the Indiana Supreme Court to step in after his previous attempts to bury the suit failed.

Gov. Eric Holcomb sued the General Assembly because he thinks a new law, HB 1123, that allows lawmakers to call themselves into special session during a public emergency (like COVID-19) is unconstitutional.

Rokita has objected since the beginning, in part because he argues the governor can’t sue anyone without the attorney general’s say-so, and Rokita didn’t give his permission.

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But a Marion County judge denied Rokita’s efforts to halt the lawsuit in its tracks and blocked the AG’s attempt to appeal. Now, Rokita is taking his case to the state’s highest court.

There is no timetable for how – or even whether – the state Supreme Court will act.

Contact reporter Brandon at bsmith@ipbs.org or follow him on Twitter at @brandonjsmith5.

Brandon Smith is excited to be working for public radio in Indiana. He has previously worked in public radio as a reporter and anchor in mid-Missouri for KBIA Radio out of Columbia. Prior to that, he worked for WSPY Radio in Plano, Illinois as a show host, reporter, producer and anchor. His first job in radio was in another state capitol, in Jefferson City, Missouri, as a reporter for three radio stations around Missouri. Brandon graduated from the University of Missouri-Columbia with a Bachelor of Journalism in 2010, with minors in political science and history. He was born and raised in Chicago.