The Indiana Supreme Court dismissed the latest disciplinary case against Attorney General Todd Rokita, closing the matter after he and state disciplinary officials agreed he “really meant it” when he accepted responsibility for professional misconduct nearly two years ago.
In a published order issued Thursday, the high court justices granted a joint request from Rokita and the Indiana Supreme Court Disciplinary Commission to dismiss the case as moot, saying the two sides had resolved their dispute.
Included in the agreement was a joint statement, in which Rokita “reaffirms what he attested to” in a 2023 affidavit accepting responsibility for violating professional conduct rules — which he confirmed that he signed voluntarily.
The statement also aimed to “clarify any real or perceived confusion” stemming from the Republican attorney general’s later public remarks.
Rokita’s office did not immediately reply to the Indiana Capital Chronicle’s request for comment on the dismissal.
The case, filed in January, accused Rokita of contradicting his earlier discipline by denying wrongdoing in a press release and media interviews after the court publicly reprimanded him in November 2023.
That earlier reprimand stemmed from comments Rokita made about Indianapolis physician Dr. Caitlin Bernard, who performed an abortion for a 10-year-old rape victim from Ohio.
In that case, Rokita admitted in a sworn affidavit, to violating two professional conduct rules in exchange for a public reprimand. A third count was dismissed.
The Indiana Supreme Court approved the agreement, publicly reprimanding the Republican attorney general. Bernard was also disciplined before the Medical Licensing Board for discussing the procedure publicly.
Although he agreed not to contest the charges, the conflict resumed after Rokita issued a news release and gave interviews suggesting he had not actually done anything wrong. He said he had “evidence and explanation” for what he said on air, but chose not to fight the complaint any further to save “taxpayer money and distraction.”
The commission filed a new complaint in January, accusing Rokita of misleading the court and misrepresenting his acceptance of responsibility in the earlier disciplinary case.
The commission said Rokita acted with “a deliberate or reckless disregard for the truth” and has since opposed his request to dismiss the new charges.
The attorney general consistently maintained the professional conduct proceedings were the result of a politically charged and unaccountable disciplinary process.
Rokita attempted to get the new complaint dismissed, but the state supreme court ruled in July to let it go forward. At the time, justices said the issue “seems to boil down primarily to whether (Rokita) really meant it when he told us he was accepting responsibility.” They encouraged both parties to “get back on the same page.”
According to Thursday’s order, Rokita and the disciplinary commission “have successfully done just that.”
Public records show taxpayers had spent nearly $500,000 on Rokita’s legal defense in the matter as of late June.
Indiana Capital Chronicle is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Indiana Capital Chronicle maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Niki Kelly for questions: info@indianacapitalchronicle.com.
