A judge has paused Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita’s lawsuit against Monroe County Sheriff Ruben Marté while a related federal lawsuit over Indiana’s new immigration enforcement law proceeds.

The Monroe County case began in 2024, when Rokita sued Marté over the sheriff’s immigration policy. Rokita argued the policy unlawfully limited cooperation with federal immigration authorities.

But earlier this month, special judge Luke Rudisill granted a request from Marté’s attorneys to pause the county case while a separate federal constitutional challenge continues.

The federal lawsuit, filed by Marté, challenges part of a new state law requiring local law enforcement agencies to comply with immigration detainer requests from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Marté argues that holding someone solely because of an ICE detainer request, without a judicial warrant, could violate the Fourth Amendment.

His attorneys argued the federal case could resolve what they called the “sole remaining issue of contention” in the county lawsuit.

Rokita’s office is now asking Rudisill to reconsider the pause and restart the Monroe County case.

In court filings, the attorney general argued the constitutional issues have already been extensively briefed in county court and said pausing the case would only delay resolution.

“Hoosiers have a special interest in the speedy resolution of this case and the vindication of the duly enacted State law at issue,” Rokita’s office wrote.

Marté’s attorneys responded that the legal landscape changed after Gov. Mike Braun signed Senate Enrolled Act 76 into law, making the federal constitutional challenge central to the dispute.

The federal lawsuit is also moving forward.

On April 30, Marté filed a motion for a preliminary injunction asking the federal court to block enforcement of the new law before it takes effect July 1.