The Indiana Supreme Court issued one opinion from May 15-21. As of May 21, the court issued 16 opinions in 2023 — 12 fewer than this point a year ago. The one opinion is below:
Oberhansley v. State, where the court “affirmed Defendant’s sentence of life imprisonment without the possibility of parole (LWOP) in connection with his conviction for the murder and burglary of his ex-girlfriend, holding that Defendant’s LWOP sentence was not inappropriate.”
From May 15-21, state supreme courts issued 186 opinions nationally. The Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia issued the most with 21. State supreme courts in 15 states issued the fewest with zero. Courts where judges are elected have issued 121 opinions, while courts whose members are appointed have issued 65.
The Indiana Supreme Court is the state’s court of last resort and has five judgeships. The current chief of the court is Loretta H. Rush. The court issued 44 opinions in 2022 and 50 in 2021. Nationally, state supreme courts issued 7,423 opinions in 2022 and 8,320 in 2021. The courts have issued 2,660 opinions in 2023. Courts where judges are elected have issued 1,511 opinions, while courts whose members are appointed have issued 1,149. Indiana is a Republican trifecta, meaning Republicans control the governorship and both chambers of the state legislature.
Indiana is holding elections, including for Indianapolis City Council, on Nov. 7, 2023. A number of candidates running in these elections completed Ballotpedia’s Candidate Connection survey. These survey responses allow voters to hear directly from candidates about what motivates them to run for office.
Below is a selection of responses from the candidates who filled out the survey as of May 18. To read each candidate’s full responses, click their name at the bottom of the article.
Brienne Delaney (D) is running for election to Indianapolis City Council District 2 and the general election is on Nov. 7. Here’s how Delaney responded to the question: What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?
“Crime Prevention and Infrastructure (utilities, streets, sidewalks, bridges).”
William Jackson (D) is running for election to Indianapolis City Council District 20 and the general election is on Nov. 7. Here’s how Jackson responded to the question: What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?
“One of the more pressing areas is access to affordable housing. Indianapolis is currently facing a housing crisis, and we must find innovative ways to help alleviate the burden on renters. … [including] … stronger tenant protection ordinances … safeguards against rent rises and discriminatory practices … inclusionary zoning.”
If you’re an Indiana candidate or incumbent, click here to take the survey. The survey contains over 30 questions, and you can choose the ones you feel will best represent your views to voters. If you complete the survey, a box with your answers will display on your Ballotpedia profile. Your responses will also populate the information that appears in our mobile app, My Vote Ballotpedia.
Both candidates running in the Nov. 7 general election for Indianapolis City Council District 14 — Andy Nielsen (D) and Brenda Bishop-Kyle (R) — completed Ballotpedia’s Candidate Connection survey. These survey responses allow voters to hear directly from candidates about what motivates them to run for office.
Here are the candidates’ responses to the question: What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?
Nielsen:
“My top priorities as Councillor are to 1) make our streets and sidewalks safer (with a focus on school zone safety) and improve Eastside’s infrastructure; 2) ensure every neighbor feels safe and supported in their community and has an affordable, clean, and safe place to call home; and 3) develop vibrant neighborhoods by supporting small businesses, expanding green spaces and community gathering spaces, and making Indianapolis as inclusive and welcoming as possible. …”
Bishop-Kyle:
“I have a strong interest on how student social interactions outside of the classroom impacts student outcomes. I want to implement activities that give structure and guidance that positively impact student performance. … To look at the civic infrastructure of District 14 and look at what can be done to improve the safety of neighborhoods.”
Click on the candidates’ profile pages below to read their full responses to this and other questions.
We ask all federal, state, and local candidates with profiles on Ballotpedia to complete a survey and share what motivates them on political and personal levels. Ask the candidates in your area to fill out the survey.
The Indiana Supreme Court issued one opinion from May 1-7. As of May 7, the court issued 15 opinions in 2023 — 12 fewer than this point a year ago. The one opinion is below:
Davis v. State, where the court “dismissed Appellant’s appeal of his sentence, holding that Appellant’s written plea agreement with the State unambiguously waived his right to appeal his sentence.”
From May 1-7, state supreme courts issued 156 opinions nationally. The Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia issued the most with 22. State supreme courts in Illinois, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, South Carolina, and South Dakota issued the fewest with zero. Courts where judges are elected have issued 91 opinions, while courts whose members are appointed have issued 65.
The Indiana Supreme Court is the state’s court of last resort and has five judgeships. The current chief of the court is Loretta H. Rush. The court issued 44 opinions in 2022 and 50 in 2021. Nationally, state supreme courts issued 7,423 opinions in 2022 and 8,320 in 2021. The courts have issued 2,357 opinions in 2023. Courts where judges are elected have issued 1,315 opinions, while courts whose members are appointed have issued 1,042. Indiana is a Republican trifecta, meaning Republicans control the governorship and both chambers of the state legislature.
The primary election for Indianapolis, Indiana, was on May 2, 2023. Candidates competed to advance to the general election scheduled for Nov. 7, 2023. The filing deadline to run was on Feb. 3.
Candidates ran for city council and mayor. Incumbent Joe Hogsett, Bob Kern, Clif Marsiglio, Robin Shackleford, and Larry Vaughn ran in the Democratic primary for mayor. Hogsett advanced to the general with 58.4% of the vote. John L. Couch, James W. Jackson, Abdul-Hakim Shabazz, and Jefferson Shreve ran in the Republican primary for mayor. Shreve advanced to the general with 65.9% of the vote.
Eighteen of 21 city council incumbents advanced to the general election.
While most mayoral elections in the 100 largest cities are nonpartisan, most officeholders are affiliated with a political party. As of May 2023, 62 mayors in the largest 100 cities by population are affiliated with the Democratic Party, 26 are affiliated with the Republican Party, three are independents, seven identify as nonpartisan or unaffiliated, and two mayors’ affiliations are unknown.
Indianapolis is the largest city in Indiana and the 15th-largest city in the U.S. by population.
On April 25, the Indiana General Assembly passed HB1212, a bill prohibiting state and local governments from requesting or disclosing nonprofit donors’ personal information. The bill defines personal information as data that identifies a person as a supporter or member of a nonprofit organization. It would prohibit government agencies from requiring individuals, contractors, or grantees to disclose this information, and it would penalize violators of these provisions with a fine of no less than $2,500 per violation.
State Rep. Michael Karickhoff (R) and co-author Rep. Elizabeth Rowray (R) introduced HB1212 on Jan. 10. State Sens. Liz Brown (R), Eric Koch (R), and James Buck (R) also sponsored the bill. The bill passed the Indiana House of Representatives 77-21 on Jan. 31. Ten House Democrats and 67 Republicans voted for the bill, while 20 Democrats and one Republican voted against it. The state Senate passed an amended version of the bill 48-1 on March 28, with eight Democrats and 40 Republicans voting in favor and one Democrat voting no.
The House did not accept the proposed Senate amendments, and a conference committee took up consideration of the bill on April 19. On April 24, the House voted 74-20 for an amended version of the bill, with 11 Democrats and 63 Republicans voting in favor. Eighteen Democrats and two Republicans voted no. The Senate again voted 48-1 to pass the bill on April 25, with the same partisan breakdown of votes as it had on initial passage.
Supporters of HB1212 said donor privacy is essential for encouraging charitable giving. Claudia Cummings, the president and CEO of the Indiana Philanthropy Alliance, said, “Speaking with our members, it’s clear that donor privacy is one of the basic things that they’re asked when consulting with donors.” Bill sponsor Sen. Liz Brown said, “Donors get to choose how they spend their money — these are their private dollars. They can choose to save it, they can choose to buy something with it, or they can choose to give it. … If those donors were to withdraw from investment in the social sector, what impact would that have?”
Opponents of the bill say it would reduce government transparency. Aaron McKean, legal counsel for the Campaign Legal Center, said, “These kinds of bills … make it harder to get information about who is trying to influence our government officials or or our elected officials. And that’s information that voters need in order to be able to assess whether the government is actually working on their behalf or if government is working on behalf of those wealthy special interests who are lining their pockets.” Pete Quist, deputy research director at OpenSecrets, said, “When you choose to get involved in politics, you choose to step into the public sphere… it’s the people’s right, the public’s right, to know who is funding their politicians. And that for us, trumps any donor privacy.”
The bill now heads to Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb (R). Indiana has a Republican trifecta, meaning the Republican Party controls the governorship and majorities in both legislative chambers. Republicans have a 70-30 majority in the House and a 40-10 majority in the Senate.
If signed into law, HB1212 would be the third donor privacy bill enacted in 2023. The other states enacting donor privacy bills this year are Kansas (HB2170) and Kentucky (SB62).
The Indiana Supreme Court issued one opinion from April 17-23. As of April 23, the court issued 14 opinions in 2023 — 11 fewer than this point a year ago. The one opinion is below:
M.H. v. State, where the court “affirmed the decision of the juvenile court denying the Appellant’s request for relief” and “holding that the new jurisdictional rule announced in K.C.G. v. State…does not apply retroactively.”
From April 17-23, state supreme courts issued 143 opinions nationally. The Pennsylvania Supreme Court issued the most with 20. State supreme courts in 15 states issued the fewest with zero. Courts where judges are elected have issued 83 opinions, while courts whose members are appointed have issued 60.
The Indiana Supreme Court is the state’s court of last resort and has five judgeships. The current chief of the court is Loretta H. Rush. The court issued 44 opinions in 2022 and 50 in 2021. Nationally, state supreme courts issued 7,423 opinions in 2022 and 8,320 in 2021. The courts have issued 2,027 opinions in 2023. Courts where judges are elected have issued 1,113 opinions, while courts whose members are appointed have issued 914. Indiana is a Republican trifecta, meaning Republicans control the governorship and both chambers of the state legislature.
As of April 16, members of the Indiana General Assembly, which includes the Indiana House of Representatives and the Indiana State Senate, have passed five bills related to election administration since the beginning of the year. Of those five bills, legislators passed one during the week of April 10-16. A bipartisan group of legislators sponsored the bill. The bill is:
IN HB1336: Various election law matters, Reps. Tonya Pfaff (D) and Timothy Wesco (R) and Sens. Jon Ford (R) and Linda Rogers (R).
As introduced on Jan. 17, 2023, this bill:
Prohibits signatures under IC 26-2-8-106 from being sent by fax or email but allows electronic signatures for candidate and campaign finance committee chairman or treasurer on campaign finance filings.
Makes election forms obsolete if they become part of the voter registration system.
Allows the secretary of state to provide voting history to law enforcement for an investigation.
Allows notification to absentee voters regarding additional documentation to be used without forms management approval.
Requires the statewide voter registration system to identify nonresidential addresses that have been used on registration applications.
Click the hyperlinked bill for more information.
Of the five bills passed this year, one has been enacted. This is two fewer than this point a year ago. A bipartisan group of legislators sponsored the bill. The bill is:
IN SB0106: Local powers concerning elections, Reps. Patricia Boy (D), Cherrish Pryor (D), Robert Cherry (R), and Timothy Wesco (R) and Sens. J.D. Ford (D), Liz Brown (R), James Buck (R), Jon Ford (R), Aaron Freeman (R), and Greg Walker (R).
As introduced, this bill clarifies a jurisdiction does not have the power to adopt an ordinance, a resolution, or an order concerning elections unless the power to do so is expressly granted by statute. This bill also voids an ordinance, a resolution, or an order concerning an election before Jan. 1, 2023, unless the jurisdiction was explicitly granted by statute.
From April 10-16, legislators passed 11 bills related to election administration nationally. As of April 16, South Dakota legislators have passed the most bills this year with 18, while legislators in 23 states have passed none. The state with the most enacted bills is South Dakota with 16, while 29 states have enacted none.
The Indiana General Assembly is scheduled to be in session from Jan. 9 to April 27 this year. In 2022, Indiana legislators passed three election-related bills, two in the state House and one in the state Senate. All three bills were enacted into law. Indiana is a Republican trifecta, meaning Republicans control the governorship and both chambers of the state legislature.
On March 30, Senior U.S. District Judge Sarah Evans Barker struck down two Indiana laws passed in 2021 and 2022 that allowed teachers to resign from their union at any time and required annual authorization of union dues deductions.
“Here, SEA 251 and SEA 297 single out a specific group—union-supporting teachers—to subject to additional procedural requirements in order to take advantage of payroll deductions for union dues, but for no other state employees seeking wage assignments. … [T]he State in singling out one specific group whose identity and viewpoints are sufficiently intertwined to be synonymous, and to require that group and only that group to jump through additional hoops and move through complex bureaucratic ‘mother may I’-type steps in order to access the payroll dues deduction process for union dues seems to have done so based on this group’s specific purposes and views. Accordingly, we hold that SEA 251 and SEA 297 do, indeed, discriminate on the basis of viewpoint. … Given the serious underinclusivity of SEA 251 and SEA 297, the State has failed to show that the challenged statutes are narrowly tailored to further its interest either in furthering educational goals to benefit students in our public schools or in complying with Janus, including ensuring ‘individuals are aware of their rights before they opt-in to union membership and execute a wage assignment.’… Accordingly, we hold that the challenged statutes cannot withstand constitutional scrutiny.”
Barker, a nominee of President Ronald Reagan (R), joined the court in 1984 and has served on senior status since 2014.
Indianapolis, Indiana, is holding primary elections on May 2, 2023. Candidates are competing to advance to the general election scheduled for Nov. 7, 2023. The filing deadline to run was on Feb. 3.
Candidates filed for city council and mayor. For city council, 21 of 25 incumbents are running for re-election. Incumbent Joe Hogsett, Bob Kern, Clif Marsiglio, Robin Shackleford, and Larry Vaughn are running in the Democratic primary for mayor. John L. Couch, James W. Jackson, Abdul-Hakim Shabazz, and Jefferson Shreve are running in the Republican primary for mayor.
As of April 2023, 62 mayors in the largest 100 cities by population are affiliated with the Democratic Party, 26 are affiliated with the Republican Party, three are independents, seven identify as nonpartisan or unaffiliated, and two mayors’ affiliations are unknown. While most mayoral elections in the 100 largest cities are nonpartisan, most officeholders are affiliated with a political party.
Indianapolis is the largest city in Indiana and the 15th-largest city in the U.S. by population.
