(Indianapolis, IN) – Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita is rejecting discipline from the Indiana Supreme Court Disciplinary Commission, saying to accept it would be an acceptance of his right to free speech. But, the commission has rejected that argument, reports the Indiana Capital Chronicle.
Adrienne Meiring, executive director of the commission, issued a 44-page brief, rejecting Rokita’s claims as “meritless” and “procedurally improper”.
In 2023, Rokita made comments to Fox News host Jesse Waters about Dr. Caitlin Bernard, who performed an abortion on a 10-year-old girl from Ohio, in Indiana. Rokita got in trouble with the commission for the comments, which they said were made for no other reason than to embarrass the doctor.
Rokita agreed in November 2023, to accept a public reprimand and admit he violated rules of professional conduct.
But, in a press release not long after the agreement, he repudiated that notion. He filed for a dismissal of the ethics complaint against him this year, saying the commission’s ruling was a violation of free speech and political speech.
The commission rejected that.
“This matter is not about politics. It is not about (Rokita’s) viewpoint on any political, social, or cultural issue, nor is it about any executive decision or action by (Rokita) in his statutory office of Indiana Attorney General,” Meiring wrote. “Instead, this matter pertains to the integrity of the judicial system and the attorney disciplinary process.”
Ultimately the decision on whether to dismiss the ethics complaint is up to the Supreme Court. Rokita could face new sanctions that could include a suspension of his law license and possible disbarment.
(Story by Network Indiana)
