Indiana
Will voters oust Indiana Supreme Court justices over abortion decision on Election Day?
First to Act: The inside story of how Indiana essentially outlawed abortion.
Watch as Indiana conservative lawyer James Bopp Jr., lawmaker Renee Pack (D), and reporter Niki Kelly give context to the fight for abortion access in the state of Indiana.
Voters in Indiana don’t get a direct say in who gets to serve on the Indiana Supreme Court, but they do get to weigh in this fall on whether some of those justices get to stay in their roles.
Three of five Indiana Supreme Court justices will be up for retention vote on Nov. 5. Voters will be asked whether Chief Justice Loretta Rush, Justice Mark Massa and Justice Derek Molter, all appointed under Republican governors, should serve additional terms.
While judge retention elections are typically sleepy affairs in Indiana, that isn’t true this year. The retention question has attracted more attention due to past court decisions: namely, upholding Indiana’s abortion ban.
The Indiana Supreme Court upheld Indiana’s near-total abortion ban in 2023 in a 4-1 decision. Molter wrote the opinion, to which Rush and Massa agreed, that the state has an interest in “protecting prenatal life” and that the Indiana General Assembly “retains broad legislative discretion for determining whether and the extent to which to prohibit abortions.”
That has led to a campaign against them from abortion-rights voters who want to make their displeasure heard over the court’s decision.
“Justices Rush, Massa, and Molter are responsible in part for Indiana’s abortion ban,” according to a Facebook post from MADVoters Indiana, an advocacy group that has been supporting Indiana’s Democratic candidates. “We can hold them accountable for their decision at the ballot box.”
Meanwhile, a group called the Committee to Preserve the Indiana Supreme Court recently launched to defend the records of Rush, Massa and Molter.
“The court’s body of work shows a dedication to the constitution and interpreting the law as written,” according to the group’s Facebook page. “You won’t find judicial activists on the Indiana Supreme Court. Because here, they interpret the law — they don’t write it.”
Who are the justices?
All of the justices on the Indiana Supreme Court were appointed by Republican governors after a merit selection process by a judicial commission. The three up for retention vote this fall are:
- Chief Justice Loretta Rush: appointed by Gov. Mitch Daniels in 2012 and first retained by voters in 2014. She was named the state’s first woman chief justice in 2014. She was a longtime attorney in the Lafayette area and served as a superior court judge in Tippecanoe County. She has worked at the national level to address issues including courts’ responses to the mental health crisis through the Conference of Chief Justices and served as chair of the National Judicial Opioid Task Force.
- Justice Mark Massa: appointed by Gov. Mitch Daniels in 2012 and first retained by voters in 2014. Massa started his career as a journalist in Indiana and then entered politics, serving under former Gov. Robert Orr. He then was a deputy prosecutor and an assistant U.S. attorney in the Southern District of Indiana. He also was part of the Daniels administration, serving as general counsel.
- Derek Molter: appointed by Gov. Eric Holcomb in 2022. This is Molter’s first retention vote. He most recently served on the Court of Appeals and is from Newton County. He used to be a partner in Ice Miller law firm’s litigation practice group, where he worked on appeals in state and federal courts.
What is the judicial retention process?
Indiana’s judicial retention process serves as a “check on their performance” at periodic intervals, according to the Indiana Judicial branch website. It was put in place in 1970 after Indiana voters approved a constitutional amendment.
“Judges who are candidates for retention are not permitted to campaign or solicit public support or campaign funds unless there is organized opposition to their retention,” according to the Indiana Judicial Branch website.
If one or more of the judges is not retained, Indiana would use the judicial nomination commission to select a new lawyer, and the Indiana governor would make the appointment from a list of nominees by the commission.
“Once appointed, a justice or judge must stand for a retention election at the first statewide general election after the justice or judge had served for two full years and, if retained, every 10 years thereafter,” according to the Indiana Judicial Branch.
A referendum on abortion?
Some abortion-rights voters appear to be using the retention votes as a way to express displeasure over the state’s near total abortion ban.
The outcome of the retention vote wouldn’t directly impact the state’s ban, however. It could even backfire for abortion-rights voters, wrote Sheila Kennedy, an emerita law and public policy professor at Indiana University’s School of Public and Environmental Affairs, since a Republican governor would likely be in charge of the judicial nomination process, barring an upset win by Democratic governor candidate Jennifer McCormick.
“I share the anger of people who oppose Indiana’s ban, but our animus should be directed at the legislature–not at a court that, rightly or wrongly, held that the legislature had authority to act,” Kennedy wrote in a recent blog post.
Outgoing state Rep. Jerry Torr, R-Carmel, said in a Facebook post that he believed the justices are “always fair, unbiased and objective” even if he doesn’t agree with them.
“It’s quite possible that one or more of the justices might even have voted against the bill had they been in the legislature,” Torr said. “Their decision was not about whether the law was appropriate, but simply whether or not it was constitutional.”
What do Indiana lawyers think?
Hundreds of members of the Indiana State Bar Association expressed support for retaining all three judges in its latest retention poll, released Oct. 8.
Rush had the strongest support among those polled, with 88% of the 397 respondents voting saying she should be retained. Massa and Molter each had support of 84% of those polled.
“Lawyers are uniquely qualified to evaluate members of the judiciary, as it’s important to evaluate a judicial officer on their track record rather than a single ruling,” according to a press release from the bar association.
The poll, however, represents a small slice of lawyers in Indiana. There were 6,901 attorneys who were invited to take the poll and the organization has about 10,000 members.
Hayleigh Colombo is the senior government accountability reporter from IndyStar. She can be reached at hcolombo@indystar.com.
(The REPORTER) — The Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) will hold a public hearing on Wednesday, June 10, regarding a proposed corridor improvement project on State Road 32 in Hamilton County.
The hearing will provide an opportunity for the public to interact with the project team, review the features of the proposed roundabout project, and provide official public comment. Project documents are available for review at improvetomove32.com.
The project area is between East Street in Westfield and River Road in Noblesville. The proposed project includes adding lanes to accommodate two lanes in each direction, removing all traffic signals within the project limits, and constructing roundabouts at the following intersections with SR 32:
- Carey Road/Grassy Branch Road
- Gunther Boulevard
- Shady Nook Road
- Moontown Road/Gray Road
- Pebble Brook Boulevard
- Hazel Dell Road/Little Chicago Road
- Mill Creek Road
The hearing will take place at Prairie Waters Event Center, 4180 Westfield Road, Westfield. Doors will open at 5 p.m. to allow the public to view displays and talk with the project team. A presentation will be given at 5:30 p.m., with a public comment session held directly after. INDOT is offering livestreams of all public meetings and hearings. You must register here in order to participate in the livestream. Livestream audience comments will only be accepted in written electronic form, not verbally. A recording of the livestream presentation will be posted on the project webpage and INDOT YouTube page after the hearing and will be available for at least 90 days.
All verbal statements recorded during the public hearing and all written comments submitted prior to, during and for a period of two weeks following the hearing date, will be evaluated, considered, and addressed in subsequent environmental documentation.
Written comments may be submitted within the comment period to Nick Batta, CMT, 8790 Purdue Road, Indianapolis, IN 46268; or sent via email to SR32HamiltonCounty@cmtengr.com.
INDOT respectfully requests comments be submitted by June 26.
A beloved tradition is drawing stitchers, shoppers, and curious newcomers across the region.
If you have ever walked into a quilt shop “just to look,” you already know how that story ends. One minute you are admiring a cheerful stack of fabric with names like sunflower, buttercream, and cardinal red, and the next you are seriously considering whether your house has room for a new table runner, a holiday wall hanging, and perhaps a life-changing bundle of fat quarters. Quilt shops have that effect. They are part treasure hunt, part therapy session, part color explosion, and in Southeastern Indiana, they are also some of the friendliest gathering places around.
That is especially true during the ALL INDIANA SHOP HOP, the statewide sewing and quilting event running through June 30, 2026.
The idea is delightfully simple: visit participating quilt shops, collect passport stamps, pick up thank-you gifts, and become eligible for prizes. The official event even describes it as a quilting version of a bar crawl, only with less late-night regret and more batting, bobbins, and beautiful fabric. There is even a youth passport for ages 8 to 17, which is a nice reminder that quilting is not just a pastime handed down from grandparents. It is also being discovered by a new generation who like making things by hand, repurposing fabric to help the environment, learning skills online, and sharing their creations proudly.
And really, quilting has everything going for it. It is practical, creative, social, and just a little bit magical.
A quilt can be a baby gift, a comfort during a hard season, a graduation present, a family heirloom, or simply a way to make a couch look much more put together than the people sitting on it. Quilters are surgeons with rotary cutters, artists with thread, and storytellers with fabric. They notice pattern, texture, memory, and meaning. Even non-quilters tend to fall under the spell. You do not need to know how to piece a block to appreciate the patience, skill, and imagination it takes to turn small shapes into something that warms both the room and the people in it.
That is one reason local quilt shops matter so much.
Yes, they sell fabric, books, notions, patterns, batting, and tools that can make a beginner feel both excited and slightly underqualified. But they also do something online shopping cannot: they welcome people in. Good quilt shops are places where somebody will help you match prints, explain what on earth a layer cake is, admire your progress, and gently steer you away from a fabric choice you may regret in broad daylight. They are equal parts classroom, clubhouse, and creative headquarters.
Southeastern Indiana is lucky to have several shops that make a Shop Hop route feel less like an errand list and more like a mini road trip with excellent scenery and even better conversation.
In Versailles, The Quilter’s Nook has become a creative quilting and sewing destination with classes, learning opportunities, and plenty of supplies and inspiration for anyone wanting to sharpen their skills or finally start that project they have been thinking about for two years. In Greensburg, Tree City Stitches is known for its premium fabrics, project kits, classes, and welcoming atmosphere, with plenty of samples on display to spark ideas before you even make it to the cutting counter.
In Vevay, Cardinal Quilts offers a deep fabric selection, quilting classes, and longarm services, making it the kind of place where serious quilters can stock up and newcomers can get helpful guidance without a trace of intimidation. And in Madison, L&L Yard Goods has been operating in the same location since 1986, offering quilting essentials, classes, and the sort of steady hometown presence that makes people come back year after year.
Together, these shops help keep quilting visible, vibrant, and local.
They also provide handmade quilts for community projects, children’s hospitals, veterans, and emergency services just like the early quilters did centuries ago.
So if your summer plans could use a little more color, a little more small-town charm,
and maybe a little more excuse to buy fabric you absolutely do not need but definitely deserve, the Shop Hop is calling. Bring a friend, bring your passport, and bring a willingness to be delighted by places where craftsmanship still matters and people still make beautiful things with their hands.
In Southeastern Indiana, quilting is more than a hobby.
It is history from the days of early pioneers, hospitality that warms you, creativity and community all stitched together one square at a time.
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