INDIANAPOLIS — Todd Rokita on Monday became Indiana’s second consecutive attorney general brought up on disciplinary charges — this time related to his statements about an Indiana doctor in the summer of 2022.
The Indiana Supreme Court Disciplinary Commission filed three charges against Rokita, all related to breaches of confidentiality. It’s up to high court justices to determine whether any misconduct occurred and what, if any, sanction is warranted.
One of the allegations outlined in the disciplinary complaint states that Rokita improperly disclosed on national television last summer that his office was investigating Indianapolis OB-GYN Dr. Caitlin Bernard. Doing so could be deemed a violation of Indiana’s Rules of Professional Conduct, which prohibits such a disclosure if the investigation is still pending.
At the time of Rokita’s statements, the Bernard investigation was still pending, and a formal complaint against the doctor had not yet been filed with the Indiana Medical Licensing Board.
The complaint additionally alleges that by publicly referring to Bernard as an “abortion activist acting as a doctor — with a history of failing to report,” Rokita broke a professional rule that bars attorneys from using means “that have no substantial purpose other than to embarrass, delay, or burden a third person.”
A third count contends that, because Rokita disclosed his office’s investigation into Bernard before making a referral to the Medical Licensing Board, he broke another professional rule that describes any lawyer’s actions that are “prejudicial to the administration of justice” as misconduct.
Rokita responded later in the day by saying, “I will keep working for the people of Indiana, like protecting our Second Amendment, publishing the Parents’ Bill of Rights, enforcing the rule of law, handling more than 1,000 appeals cases filed by criminals each year and securing nearly $1 billion for Hoosier taxpayers.”
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