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☆ Indiana’s ban on transition care for minors can take effect, appeals court rules
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-28 | by ( Celina | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Indiana’s ban on transition care for minors can take effect, an appeals court ruled Tuesday, issuing a stay on the district court’s ruling that blocked parts of the law last summer. The ruling from the US Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit in Chicago ordered the preliminary injunction from the district court in June 2023 to be stayed – meaning the law will take effect immediately. Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita, a Republican, applauded the ruling in an audio statement shared with CNN. “Following the court’s order yesterday, Indiana’s common-sense law is now enforceable again,” Rokita said. “Meaning that we’re going to be banning dangerous and irreversible gender transition procedures for minors.

Persons: CNN —, Eric Holcomb, ”, Todd Rokita, ” Rokita Organizations: CNN, Appeals, Circuit, Republican, American Civil Liberties Union, Republican Gov, ACLU, Indiana, “ Locations: Chicago, Indiana

☆ Judge dismisses Indiana state’s lawsuit against TikTok over child safety concerns
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-30 | by ( Samantha Murphy Kelly | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —A judge dismissed a lawsuit filed by the state of Indiana against TikTok accusing the company of making false claims about the safety of user data and age-appropriate content. Judge Jennifer DeGroote of Allen County Superior Court in Fort Wayne, Indiana, said the court “lacks personal jurisdiction” over TikTok and that downloading an app at no cost does not constitute a “consumer transaction” under the Indiana Deceptive Consumer Sales Act, according to court documents. Similar lawsuits now remain active in other states including Arkansas and Utah. The lawsuit alleged TikTok attracts young people to its platform under the pretense that it’s safe yet still exposes them to inappropriate content including drug and alcohol use, nudity and profanity. Indiana was also one of the first states that ordered TikTok to be banned on government-issued devices, citing the threat of “gaining access to critical U.S. information and infrastructure.”- CNN’s Clare Duffy contributed to this report

Persons: CNN —, TikTok, Jennifer DeGroote, Todd Rokita, ”, Rokita, ” TikTok, “, Frances Haugen, CNN’s Clare Duffy Organizations: CNN, Superior Court, Associated Press, Indiana, TikTok, Big Tech, Communist Party, Instagram Locations: Indiana, Allen, Fort Wayne , Indiana, Arkansas, Utah

They alleged the app contains “salacious and inappropriate content” despite the company claiming it is safe for children 13 years and under. In the second complaint, the state argued that the app deceives consumers into believing their sensitive and personal information is secure. Judge Jennifer L. DeGroote of the Allen County Superior Court in Fort Wayne made the ruling. A federal judge later rejected TikTok’s request to move the lawsuit to federal court but also described the attorney general's lawsuit as largely “ political posturing ” in a ruling. Indiana is among several states and the federal government that have ordered the TikTok app deleted from government-issued devices.

Persons: TikTok, Jennifer L, Todd Rokita, DeGroote, general's, Craig Bobay, Meta Organizations: INDIANAPOLIS, Superior Court, TikTok, Big Tech, Associated Press, Republican, Meta, ByteDance, Indiana, Facebook, Inc Locations: An Indiana, Allen, Fort Wayne, Arkansas, Utah, Indiana, California, Singapore, Montana, U.S

(AP) — Indiana's attorney general violated professional conduct rules in statements he made about a doctor who provided an abortion to a 10-year-old rape victim from Ohio in the weeks after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade last summer, according to a court opinion filed Thursday. At the time, Ohio law prohibited abortions after six weeks of pregnancy but the girl could still be provided a legal abortion in Indiana. The opinion specifically faulted Rokita for describing Bernard on the show as an “abortion activist acting as a doctor — with a history of failing to report" instances of abuse. In his statement, Rokita said he signed an affidavit to bring the proceedings to a close and to “save a lot of taxpayer money and distraction." Within weeks of Bernard's July 2022 interview about providing the abortion, Indiana became the first state to approve abortion restrictions after the U.S. Supreme Court ended constitutional protections.

Persons: —, Roe, Wade, Caitlin Bernard, Todd Rokita, Bernard, Rokita, ”, “, Gerson Fuentes Organizations: U.S, Supreme, Indianapolis Star, The Indiana, Republican, Fox News, Rokita, Associated Press, Indiana University Health Locations: INDIANAPOLIS, Ind, Ohio, Indiana, Indianapolis

The fundraising software company Blackbaud agreed Thursday to pay $49.5 million to settle claims brought by the attorneys general of 49 states and Washington, D.C., related to a 2020 data breach that exposed sensitive information from 13,000 nonprofits. Blackbaud said in a statement that it expected to pay the full settlement amounts in October. Indiana will receive almost $3.6 million under the terms of the settlement, the most of any state, Rokita's office said. The company agreed to pay a $3 million fine to the SEC but did not admit wrongdoing. ___This story has been corrected to show that the claims were brought by 49 states and Washington, D.C., not all 50 states.

Persons: Blackbaud, Todd Rokita Organizations: D.C, Social, Indiana, Security's, Exchange Commission, Social Security, SEC, Lilly Endowment Inc, AP Locations: Washington, Vermont, Indiana, U.S

The complaint by the Indiana Supreme Court Disciplinary Commission cited statements Rokita made on Fox News in July 2022 about Dr. Caitlin Bernard in a case that became a flashpoint in the debate over abortion access. The Indiana Supreme Court is also the ultimate arbiter for any attorneys charged with misconduct by the commission. The commission said those comments violated rules barring lawyers from making public statements with a substantial likelihood of "materially prejudicing" a case. Bernard has said the Ohio child was referred to her three days after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, the 1973 case that guaranteed federal abortion rights. A lawyer for Bernard said she had no comment on the disciplinary case against Rokita.

Persons: Todd Rokita, Aaron P, Bernstein, General Todd Rokita, Rokita, Caitlin Bernard, Bernard, Fox's Jesse Watters, Roe, Wade, Nate Raymond, David Thomas, David Bario, Sonali Paul Organizations: Capitol, REUTERS, Indiana, Fox News, Indiana Supreme, U.S, Supreme, Rokita, Thomson Locations: Washington , U.S, Indiana, Ohio

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Indiana's attorney general has sued the state's largest hospital system, claiming it violated patient privacy laws when a doctor publicly shared the story of an Ohio girl who traveled to Indiana for an abortion. Rokita, a Republican, is stridently anti-abortion and Indiana was the first state to approve abortion restrictions after the court's decision. “Rather than protecting the patient, the hospital chose to protect the doctor, and itself.”The lawsuit named Indiana University Health and IU Healthcare Associates. It alleged the hospital system violated HIPPA, the federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, and a state law for not protecting the patient’s information. Hospital system officials have argued that Bernard didn’t violate privacy laws.

Persons: —, Todd Rokita’s, Caitlin Bernard, Roe, Wade, “, Bernard, Bernard didn’t, ” Organizations: INDIANAPOLIS, U.S, Supreme, Republican, Indiana University Health, IU Healthcare Associates, Insurance, Indiana Attorney, IU Health Locations: Ohio, Indiana, Indianapolis

A Shein logo is pictured at the company's office in the central business district of Singapore, October 18, 2022. The letter urged the SEC to ensure that Shein and other foreign companies listed on U.S. exchanges verify through independent audits that they comply with U.S. laws that prohibit imports made with any forced labor. Shein has previously said it does not plan to IPO this year and has zero tolerance for forced labor. Shein has been able to rapidly expand in the U.S. despite concerns over its labor practices and sustainability. In May, two dozen U.S. representatives sent a similar letter to the SEC asking for it to halt a potential Shein IPO until the company confirmed that it does not use forced labor.

Persons: Chen Lin, Shein, Todd Rokita, Arriana McLymore, Cynthia Osterman Organizations: REUTERS, Securities and Exchange Commission, SEC, Reuters, New York Stock Exchange, Nasdaq, Indiana, Republican, Thomson Locations: Singapore, U.S, China, Washington, Beijing, Shein, Indiana, New York City

The court, in a 4-1 decision, found that the Indiana constitution does not include a broad right to abortion, allowing Indiana to join 14 other Republican-led states in enforcing abortion bans. Indiana's General Assembly last August passed the first new law state law banning abortion after the U.S. Supreme Court in June overturned Roe v. Wade, the landmark 1973 ruling that had established a right to abortion nationwide. The law prohibits all abortion with exceptions for rape, incest, lethal fetal abnormalities and to save the mother's life or prevent serious health risk. Planned Parenthood argued in its lawsuit that the law violated the right liberty guaranteed by the state constitution. But Justice Derek Molter, writing for the majority on Friday, said the framers of the state constitution "left the General Assembly with legislative discretion to regulate or limit abortion."

Persons: General Todd Rokita, we'll, Roe, Wade, Derek Molter, Molter, Christopher Goff, Brendan Pierson, Grant McCool Organizations: Indiana Supreme, Planned, Republican, Hoosiers, U.S, Supreme, General, Thomson Locations: Indiana, New York

May 8 (Reuters) - Vanguard Group, the largest provider of mutual funds, has secured regulatory approval to continue to own big stakes in U.S. power utilities, overcoming Republican concerns over its environmental, social and governance (ESG) policies. Regulators had previously allowed Vanguard to exceed that antitrust limit on the basis that this would not interfere with the utilities' operations. Vanguard countered that its funds do not exert control over the decisions of the utilities. Vanguard reiterated in a statement on Monday that it leaves "management decisions to companies and policy decisions to policymakers." A representative for Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita, one of the leaders of the group challenging the FERC extension, said he would comment in coming days.

May 1 (Reuters) - The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday declined to hear a challenge to the legality of an Indiana requirement that abortion providers bury or cremate embryonic or fetal remains following the procedure, sidestepping another dispute involving a contentious Republican-backed state policy concerning abortion. Circuit Court of Appeals to reinstate the state's requirement after a federal judge had invalidated it. Indiana's ban is currently blocked after decisions by lower court judges. The Supreme Court on April 21 blocked restrictions set by lower courts on a widely used abortion pill while litigation continues in lower courts in a challenge by abortion opponents to the drug's federal regulatory approval. Women themselves "may choose to take custody of the remains and dispose of them as they please," that court added.

☆ Indiana is suing TikTok over claims it misled users about child safety and data security
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-08 | by ( Beatrice Nolan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

The lawsuits center on the safety of user data and the treatment of younger users. One of the lawsuits alleges that TikTok promotes content to young users that isn't age-appropriate. One of the lawsuits alleges that TikTok promotes content to young users that isn't age-appropriate, per court documents. The other lawsuit alleged that users' data can be accessed by Chinese authorities. A spokesperson for TikTok told Insider: "The safety, privacy and security of our community is our top priority.

WASHINGTON, Dec 7 (Reuters) - Indiana sued Chinese-owned short-video sharing app TikTok on Wednesday over allegations that it is deceiving users about China's access to their data and exposing children to mature content. The complaint added that inappropriate sexual and substance-related content can easily be found and are pushed by the company to children using TikTok. A spokesperson for the video sharing app said it did not have a comment on the pending litigation. TikTok has said the concerns prompting state bans were largely fueled by misinformation. President Joe Biden in June 2021 withdrew Trump's executive orders that sought to ban the downloads and directed the Commerce Department to conduct a review of security concerns posed by the apps.

☆ Indiana Attorney General files lawsuits against TikTok
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-07 | by ( Clare Duffy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

New York CNN Business —Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita on Wednesday announced he has filed two separate lawsuits against TikTok, which accuse the company of making false claims about the safety of user data, and age-appropriate content. “The TikTok app is a malicious and menacing threat unleashed on unsuspecting Indiana consumers by a Chinese company that knows full well the harms it inflicts on users,” Rokita said in a statement. “With this pair of lawsuits, we hope to force TikTok to stop its false, deceptive, and misleading practices, which violate Indiana law.”The lawsuits mark the most serious action taken yet by a state against TikTok, amid increasing attention to and concern about TikTok from state and federal officials in recent months. TikTok does not comment on pending litigation, but said, “the safety, privacy and security of our community is our top priority,” according to a statement from a company spokesperson. And there has been renewed criticism of TikTok this year, stemming from a Buzzfeed News report in June that said some US user data has been repeatedly accessed from China.

Sen. Mike Braun, an Indiana Republican, has formed a campaign to run for governor in 2024, according to paperwork filed Tuesday. The development, first reported by Politico, had been expected for months, with Braun hinting hard that he was interested in the race. The state's other GOP senator, Todd Young, was re-elected by a convincing margin this month. In a statement Wednesday morning, Indiana Democratic Party Chair Mike Schmuhl greeted Braun's candidacy with derision. "As a so-called businessman, Mike Braun has done very little to improve Indiana as a U.S. senator and he surely won’t do it as governor," Schmuhl said.

☆ Indiana prosecutor seeks to punish doctor in 10-year-old's abortion case
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-30 | by ( Gabriella Borter | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita, a Republican, accused Dr. Caitlin Bernard of "violating a patient’s privacy rights" and the obligation to immediately report child abuse to Indiana authorities. Rokita has been investigating whether Dr. Bernard followed state law requiring doctors to report abortions, even though public records showed Dr. Bernard promptly reported the abortion as required. The attorney general is not questioning whether the girl met the Indiana statutory requirement that she be no more than 22 weeks pregnant. When Dr. Bernard learned of the situation, the girl was three days past the six-week limit in Ohio. News of the 10-year-old's case launched a bitter legal battle between Dr. Bernard and Rokita.

Indiana's Republican-controlled legislature passed the law in May, overriding the veto of the state's Republican governor, Eric Holcomb, who had said it was unnecessary. Proponents of the law say that allowing transgender girls to play on girls' teams is unfair because they have a biological advantage. The mother of a 10-year-old transgender girl attending public school in Indianapolis then sued the school district in Indianapolis federal court, seeking to stop it from enforcing the law against her. The Indianapolis school district itself did not oppose the injunction, but the state of Indiana intervened to defend its law. A group of 19 Republican-led states filed their own brief supporting Indiana in September.

☆ Doctor who performed abortion on 10-year-old rape victim sues Indiana AG over bids to access records
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-03 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

INDIANAPOLIS — An Indianapolis doctor who performed an abortion on a 10-year-old rape victim from Ohio is suing Indiana’s attorney general, seeking to block him from using allegedly “frivolous” consumer complaints to issue subpoenas seeking patients’ confidential medical records. The lawsuit targeting Attorney General Todd Rokita was filed Thursday in Marion County on behalf of Dr. Caitlin Bernard, an Indianapolis obstetrician-gynecologist, her medical partner, Dr. Amy Caldwell, and their patients. After the news of the 10-year-old’s abortion broke, Rokita told Fox News he would investigate whether Bernard violated child abuse notification or abortion reporting laws. He also said his office would look into whether anything Bernard said to The Indianapolis Star about the girl’s case violated federal medical privacy laws. Bernard’s attorney, Kathleen DeLaney, signaled in a July court filing that she planned to sue Rokita.

Nov 3 (Reuters) - An Indiana doctor who performed an abortion on a 10-year-old Ohio rape victim sued Indiana's attorney general on Thursday, demanding an end to investigations seeking medical records about patients and their abortions. An Ohio man has been indicted for raping the girl and is due to go on trial early next year. The girl was referred to Bernard because the Supreme Court ruling triggered a strict Ohio law barring her from an in-state abortion. "The Attorney General and the Director will continue to initiate sham investigations of Plaintiffs unless enjoined by the Court," said the lawsuit filed in Marion Superior Court. Besides the case involving the 10-year-old girl, subpoenas were issued in a separate complaint involving Caldwell, Bernard's medical partner.

Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterA sign is pictured at the entrance to a Planned Parenthood building in New York August 31, 2015. REUTERS/Lucas Jackson/File PhotoSept 22 (Reuters) - An Indiana judge on Thursday blocked the state from enforcing its new ban on most abortions while Planned Parenthood and other healthcare providers challenge it in court. Owen County Judge Kelsey Hanlon ruled that Planned Parenthood and the other providers had shown a "reasonable likelihood" that the ban's "significant restriction of personal autonomy" violates the Indiana constitution. Spokespeople for Planned Parenthood and for Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita did not immediately comment. read moreThe law prohibits all abortions after conception, with limited exceptions for rape, incest, lethal fetal abnormalities or a serious health risk to the mother.

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