Indiana pays hefty price for enacting unconstitutional laws

[TexasTowelie]

INDIANAPOLIS — When a federal judge recently struck down portions of a 2016 Indiana law limiting the right to abortion, she also set the stage for another six-figure state payment to the Indiana chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union.

The exact amount Hoosier taxpayers will send to the ACLU to cover attorneys' fees for its most recent constitutional challenge on behalf of Planned Parenthood of Indiana and Kentucky likely won't be determined until the appeal promised by Republican Attorney General Curtis Hill is concluded.

But a review of state auditor records by The Times Media Co. found that Indiana already has shelled out $2,831,532.99 in legal fees to the ACLU since 2011, including $302,889.87 during the 2017 budget year, $668,385.13 in 2016, and $433,675.92 in 2015.

Federal law allows judges to require the government to pay a plaintiff's legal fees in some civil rights cases as an incentive to challenge potentially unconstitutional statutes, while also deterring frivolous lawsuits, since only successful litigants are eligible for payment.

Read more: http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/indiana-pays-hefty-price-for-enacting-unconstitutional-laws/article_28113f90-b8e7-5203-920b-662de7b520c2.html#tncms-source=home-trending

[TxDemChem]

1. Good. At some point, maybe voters will get tired of seeing

Their tax money spent on defending blatantly unconstitutional laws and vote out the people who keep passing them

[ancianita]

2. Of course, the appeal plan is to overturn Roe v. Wade, so to them, it's worth it.

Their bought red states are beta test sites for Kochs' Buchanan-libertarian movement.

The Koch-Buchanan libertarians plan to eviscerate state and the national Constitution until majority rule democracy is swept out the door.

Koch states rights maneuvers aren't working. Yet. But their federal judge appointments are moving apace.

[Gothmog]

3. Yeah for the ACLU