Latest news with #AmericanCivilLibertiesUnionofIndiana
Indianapolis Star
5 days ago
- Politics
- Indianapolis Star
ACLU lawsuit over Indiana's college intellectual diversity law is dismissed
A legal challenge to Indiana's law mandating "intellectual diversity" in college classrooms has been dismissed after a judge ruled the fear behind the law's subsequent chilling effect on free expression was unproven. In his July 23 order, Judge Richard L. Young wrote that the legal complaint was premature. The case also lacks standing, he said, because universities have not taken or threatened enforcement actions against faculty members. "The court finds Plaintiffs have adequately shown they have an actual fear of enforcement that has chilled their protected speech," wrote Young, who was appointed by President Bill Clinton. "The issue is whether that fear is well-founded." Last September, the American Civil Liberties Union of Indiana filed a lawsuit on behalf of four Hoosier professors who claim the state law infringes on academic freedom and their First and Fourteenth Amendment rights. In a statement to IndyStar, ACLU of Indiana spokesperson Laura Forbes said the organization is disappointed in the decision and is considering its options. When Senate Bill 202 progressed through the Indiana Statehouse in 2024, professors decried the legislation, claiming the bill would stifle academic freedom and damage higher education outcomes, recruitment and prowess. Academic freedom is defined as the ability for an institution's faculty and staff members to build curriculum, research and pursue knowledge without interference from government officials and administrators, according to several First Amendment organizations. Several U.S. Supreme Court cases have labeled academic freedom as protected under the First Amendment. SB 202 requires the state's public universities, when evaluating a faculty member's tenure, to consider whether they have embraced free expression and "intellectual diversity" in the classroom and if they have expressed political views unrelated to their discipline while teaching. It also directed universities to stand up a process for students to report professors on those grounds. If a university finds that a professor is teaching contrary to the law, the professor may not be granted tenure or be denied a promotion. The bill, introduced by Sen. Spencer Deery, R-Lafayette, was enacted in July 2024. A year in, a total of 14 complaints have been filed at Indiana University, Ball State University, Indiana State University and Ivy Tech University. It's unclear whether any disciplinary action has been taken on them yet. The ACLU's complaint argues that the law was not adequately defined, and the professors have changed the content and pedagogy of their courses in fear of disciplinary action. An ACLU news release said the law could chill course debate over concerns that unfounded theories must be given the same credence as "rigorously studied academic analysis." The lawsuit was the ACLU's second attempt to challenge the law. It first challenged SB 202 in May 2024, but that effort was dismissed after the judge said the plaintiffs lacked jurisdiction to sue. The USA TODAY Network - Indiana's coverage of First Amendment issues is funded through a collaboration between the Freedom Forum and Journalism Funding Partners.
Yahoo
26-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Indiana Gov. Mike Braun signs first bill into law, creating new online portal for farmers
Indiana Gov. Mike Braun signs his first bill into law during a Statehouse ceremony on Tuesday, March 25, 2025. (Casey Smith/Indiana Capital Chronicle) Indiana Gov. Mike Braun signed his first bill into law Tuesday, establishing a new online agricultural portal for Hoosier farmers. House Bill 1149, authored by Rep. Kendall Culp, R-Rensselaer, creates an online hub coined by Braun as a 'one-stop-shop' for farmers to communicate with state government and 'get information they need to be successful.' The governor additionally said the new law will help farmers 'avoid red tape.' 'Hoosier farmers feed America and power our economy, and this bill makes their important job a little bit easier,' Braun told reporters at a Statehouse bill signing ceremony. The Indiana State Department of Agriculture is tasked with creating and maintaining the new online portal. Its features will provide Hoosier farmers with centralized funding information, including a searchable database of grants with deadlines and eligibility; regulatory checklists to help avoid violations when entering new markets; tools for tracking lost farmland; and communication channels to provide feedback on federal regulations and state-level agricultural services. The bill was part of Braun's 'Freedom and Opportunity' agriculture agenda. Six other measures were signed into law on Tuesday, including a bill to update Indiana's '25-foot rule' — first passed into law in 2023 — which allows law enforcement officers to move witnesses back 25 feet from an active crime scene. In response to lawsuits filed by the American Civil Liberties Union of Indiana and others, House Enrolled Act 1122 clarifies that officers can only invoke the rule if they have a 'reasonable belief' that a person's presence will interfere with their lawful duties. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
29-01-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Lawmakers attempt to fix police buffer zone law
Members of a bipartisan interim study committee this week reviewed new criminal justice data and considered testimony about the need to combat a rise in juvenile gun crimes across the state. (Getty Images) A bill to revamp a buffer zone law for law enforcement passed out of committee 10-3 Wednesday. The original law, passed in 2023, allows police to push citizens back 25 feet from an ongoing investigation. It was challenged in two separate lawsuits; the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals issued an injunction blocking the law because it was unconstitutionally vague. That case was brought by a coalition of media outlets. Rep. Wendy McNamara, R-Evansville, is carrying House Bill 1122 to try to eliminate the vagueness. The new law would allow an officer to order someone to stop approaching if there is a reasonable belief that the person's presence within the 25 feet will interfere with police duties. Chris Daley, the executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Indiana, believes the change would allow reporters or other witnesses to unobtrusively record what is happening without that being considered interference. He was neutral on the bill — saying it is an improvement on the previous law, but the legal cases are still ongoing. Daley still thinks the 25-foot distance is too far. Evansville Police Sgt. Mark Saltzman testified in support of the bill, saying it has helped reduce intrusion on officers conducting an investigation at a time when assaults on police officers have risen nationally. He noted that other states have used Indiana's language to pass their own laws, including Florida's 'Halo law.' Plainfield Police Chief Kyle Prewitt said, 'We want safety in our communities, not just for our law enforcement officers, but for those who are impacted by crimes, those who commit crimes, the community as a whole.' He added that sometimes people standing too close can also overhear sensitive information relayed by officers, victims and suspects. 'There's also a modicum of decency that we should be observing as society as a whole,' Prewitt said. Three Democrats opposed the bill with all Republicans in support. Rep. Robin Shackleford, D-Indianapolis, said she initially supported the law in committee but then received pushback from her community. She said many of her constituents don't trust law enforcement and 25 feet is too far to 'make sure everyone is accountable.' Lawmakers heard concerns about witness recordings in an interim committee in 2022 and in committee discussion in 2023. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
