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Indiana Supreme Court considers Attorney General suits against TikTok

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Indiana Supreme Court Justices question defendants in a case between the Indiana Attorney General’s Office and the owners of TikTok. (Screenshot from oral arguments)

Indiana’s highest court weighed allegations of TikTok’s alleged deceptive practices in the Hoosier State on Tuesday, skeptical of arguments from both sides about jurisdictional issues. 

The two suits, heard together, were filed by Attorney General Todd Rokita against the popular, short-form video app in December 2022 in Fort Wayne. He accused TikTok and its parent company, ByteDance, of violating Indiana’s Deceptive Consumer Sales Act with its age rating for those 12 and older — claiming that it contained more sexual content, profanity and drug references than advertised.

The above made TikTok unsafe for children, he continued. Additionally, he claimed in a separate lawsuit that the company failed to protect user data from the Chinese Communist Party.

Justices noted ongoing national security concerns about the app, including a rare bipartisanlaw requiring ByteDance to sell the app to an American company. President Donald Trump, who embraced the app in his second campaign, has intervened and delayed that law’s implementation three times

“Congress doesn’t agree on much, but they agreed on this. And the (U.S.) Supreme Court said it’s okay to (ban) in this context,” said Justice Christoper Goff. “But now, we’re on pause … this seems to be a completely unique circumstance. And I cannot, for the life of me, imagine, with all of that going on, why it would be appropriate for us, or reasonable for us, to cite the precedent to exercise jurisdiction here and write a rule for all time.”

Conservative and liberal lawmakers both cite worries about TikTok’s parent company, Beijing-based ByteDance, and its ties to the Chinese Communist Party. Some have openly wondered if the app feeds user data to Chinese authorities, including Rokita.

“Our lawsuit against TikTok was filed to protect our children and to protect our data privacy that we allege is being stolen by the Chinese Communist Party. We maintain their business model intentionally deceives children and adults to drive up profits by saying it is appropriate for kids and that your personal data is safe. Neither is true,” the office said in a statement in 2023. 

The lower courts dismissed Rokita’s suits and the agency appealed the case to the Indiana Supreme Court. State attorneys on Tuesday countered that the “federal law over the divestiture of ownership of TikTok has nothing to do with this case,” maintaining that the issue at hand was “deceptive and misleading representations made to consumers.”

 

Arguments before the court

 

Attorney Brian Paul, representing TikTok and ByteDance, argued that the Indiana Supreme Court wasn’t the appropriate venue for the case, which is the first issue before the justices.

“Indiana is seeking to punish TikTok for statements that were not made in Indiana, that are not about Indiana, that were not targeted at Indiana and were not tailored to Indiana,” Paul said in his opening remarks. 

The state previously argued that justices could intervene because Hoosiers enter into user contracts with TikTok when they download the app.

Paul said because TikTok has no physical presence in the state, not even a server, Indiana wasn’t appropriate for the lawsuit — though the company makes $46 million off of Hoosier data annually by using collected data to tailor advertiser content, plaintiffs said.

Justices seemed to doubt that reasoning, pointing to other products, like magazines shipped across state boundaries, and legal precedent. 

“TikTok seeks to escape the rules that apply to everyone else, from print magazines to burger franchises,” said Solicitor General James Barta, arguing on behalf of the state. 

Barta said that these “daily exchange(s) of data” are used by the plaintiffs to craft “addictive content” based on user locations to earn millions.

“And yet, TikTok says Indiana courts can do nothing to hold it accountable for misleading and deceptive statements that induced Indiana parents to download this app for themselves or for their children, and that ultimately end up harming children and other users,” Barta concluded.

Chief Justice Loretta Rush wondered if such a broad application of Indiana law might capture other apps and social media companies anytime a Hoosiers accepts a website’s cookies or agrees to a user contract. 

“Every one of those is going to be subject to (our jurisdiction) no matter where they’re located or the product?” Rush asked. “… are we going to now have personal jurisdiction of any company that grabs and sells data in Indiana, no matter how small?”

That concern appeared to resonate with some of Rush’s fellow justices. 

“The implications for things like free speech, for interstate commerce seemed, to me, to be just breathtaking,” said Goff.

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In response, Barta said the core of the case was about deception and misleading consumers and that the state “has a significant interest in protecting its consumers, in having its courts interpret its laws.”

Justice Derek Molter noted, however, that it was “unusual” to claim a violation of Indiana’s Deceptive Consumer Sales Act without the exchange of money. 

“… it is core to TikTok’s business model to be able to monetize users’ time and attention and this is, of course, not the only company that does this,” Barta said. “… it would be awfully odd to say that the legislature has been completely unaware of this, and yet has decided to do nothing about it with the Deceptive Consumer Sales Act.”

He said the law doesn’t cover “free” transactions, but does apply to an exchange of goods and services. He contends that Tiktok users exchange their data for entertainment. The state is seeking civil penalties and a jury trial as allowed under that law. 

Justices, led by Rush, indicated they would issue their ruling “in due course.”

USI Women’s Soccer announces 2025 schedule

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EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana Women’s Soccer has released its schedule for the 2025 championship season.

The 2025 season officially kicks off Thursday, August 14, when the Screaming Eagles travel to face their first power-conference opponent in regular-season action at the University of Nebraska of the Big Ten Conference.

The road matchup at Nebraska will also be USI’s first official contest as a full-fledged NCAA Division I program after completing the reclassification process the previous three years, making the 2025 campaign the first season in which the Screaming Eagles are eligible for the NCAA postseason.

Southern Indiana will tune up for the regular season with a pair of preseason exhibitions in early August. On August 3, USI will meet the University of Nebraska Omaha in St. Louis, Missouri, and on August 9, the Eagles will host Illinois State University from Strassweg Field.

After the season-opening match at Nebraska, USI kicks off its home schedule on August 17 against Cleveland State University. The Screaming Eagles will also host Eastern Michigan University (August 28), Southern Illinois University (August 31), Valparaiso University (September 4), and Purdue University Fort Wayne (September 14) during the non-conference season.

Other non-conference road stops include a back-to-back trip to Robert Morris University (August 21) and the University of Akron (August 24), and a visit to Bellarmine University on September 7.

Southern Indiana’s fourth season in the Ohio Valley Conference opens September 20 at the University of Tennessee at Martin. The nine-match conference schedule includes consecutive home dates at Strassweg Field against Morehead State University on September 25, which is a rematch of last season’s OVC tournament quarterfinal for USI, and against Southeast Missouri State University on September 28. Then the Screaming Eagles will hit the road for back-to-back contests at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock (October 5) and Eastern Illinois University (October 9). USI returns home October 12 for a tilt against Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. Southern Indiana will travel to face Tennessee Tech University, the 2024 OVC regular-season champions, on October 16 before hosting Lindenwood University, the reigning OVC tournament champions, on October 19 in the home finale. USI concludes the regular season with a trip to Western Illinois University (October 26).

The OVC Championship Tournament runs from October 30 through November 9.

“We are extremely excited to announce our 2025 schedule,” USI Women’s Soccer Head Coach Eric Schoenstein said. “We face our toughest schedule in program history, starting with a power-four team at Nebraska, and the following matches are just as challenging. We scheduled a difficult non-conference season to prepare us for a tough Ohio Valley Conference schedule. Our experienced and talented roster is looking forward to the upcoming season.”

The Screaming Eagles went 5-9-5 overall last season and 4-2-3 in conference play. USI is coming off its second consecutive appearance in the OVC tournament quarterfinals last year.

Horn named Director for the USI Honors Program, Themed Learning Communities

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Jenn Horn has been named Director for the Honors Program and Themed Learning Communities (TLCs), effective immediately.

Horn has served as Interim Director for the Honors Program and Themed Learning Communities since May 2024. She began working at USI in Fall 2012 as an Instructor in English and Liberal Arts where she has taught classes in folklore, composition, mythology, humanities and gender studies. In these courses, she has regularly worked with Honors students on their projects and supported their journey to an Honors degree. She has also served as a faculty mentor with the TLC Program since 2017 and worked with several TLCs including the College of Liberal Arts TLC, the Screagles TLC, and the Service and Leadership TLC.

The Honors Program is for USI students who want to challenge themselves academically and are prepared to invest extra time and effort to meet that challenge through more rigorous coursework. The Program also creates a community of like-minded students invested in challenging themselves and supporting each other during their educational journey.

TLCs at USI allow students aligned by various interests to create strong communities and life-long friends through their shared living experiences and interests. Students in TLCs typically earn a higher GPA, are more likely to persist at USI and graduate at higher rates than other first-year students.

Horn has a master’s degree in folklore from Indiana University Bloomington, a master’s degree in English from the University of Indianapolis and is currently in the proposal and writing stages of her EdD dissertation here at USI where her concentration is higher education administrative leadership.

INDIANA YOUTH TOBACCO USE LOWEST IN DECADES

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EPD DAILY ACTIVITY REPORT

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EPD

 

EPD DAILY ACTIVITY REPORT

FOOTNOTE: EPD DAILY ACTIVITY REPORT information was provided by the EPD and posted by the City-County-County Observer without opinion, bias, or editing.

Cruz leads Otters in offensive showing

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SAUGET, Ill. – The Evansville Otters (18-21) used a seven-run sixth inning to defeat the Gateway Grizzlies (22-17) in game one of the series, 12-8.

The bats for Evansville got started early with a David Mendham single followed later by a Pavin Parks double that put the Otters up 1-0.

Parker Brahms made his seventh start of the year and threw a gem. He pitched through some traffic early, stranding four runners and striking out three through the first two innings.

Evansville used a sacrifice fly from Keenan Taylor and a two-out ground rule double to plate two in the second. After Gateway responded with one in the bottom of the second, Evansville led 3-1.

Back-to-back doubles from Taylor and JJ Cruz added one in the fourth, and another sacrifice fly from Taylor added another in the fifth, leading to a 5-1 Otters lead. Brahms settled in, only facing 10 batters from the third through fifth inning.

Evansville exploded in the sixth, using two hit batters, singles from JT Benson, Parks and a double from Logan Brown to score four runs. Cruz capped off the inning with a three-run home run to right to plate seven in the sixth, pushing the Evansville lead to 12-1.

Brahms worked the sixth, allowing only one more run, to finish with his second straight quality start with five strikeouts and no walks issued. Nolan Thebiay then worked a scoreless seventh out of the Otters’ bullpen.

Gateway managed to score three runs in the eighth and three in the ninth, but the Otters ultimately closed the game out, 12-8.

Evansville finished with 16 hits, including three hit games from LJ Jones, Parks, and Cruz. Six of the Otters’ starting nine finished with RBI in the contest.

The Otters are back in action tomorrow night at 6:05 p.m. CT before the series finale against Gateway at 10:45 a.m. CT on Thursday morning. Evansville then returns home Friday to host division rivals Florence.

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Governor Braun Appoints New Members to the Indiana Economic Development Corporation Board of Directors

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Governor Mike Braun announced nine appointments to the Indiana Economic Development Corporation (IEDC) Board of Directors.

“I spent my life building a business here in Indiana, and I know that having an entrepreneurial, high-energy team in your corner makes all the difference. These appointments to the IEDC Board embody the Freedom and Opportunity agenda for IEDC: they hail from communities all around our state, bring experience from across the range of Indiana’s key industries, and each of them knows the importance of growing wages and creating job opportunities for Hoosiers because they’ve done it in their own communities.” — Governor Mike Braun

The new Board appointees – who bring experience from across the spectrum of Indiana’s economy from agriculture to manufacturing to retail – will join Governor Mike Braun and Commerce Secretary David Adams’ mission to grow wages and build new job opportunities for Hoosiers, as well as spread economic development to all four corners of the state.

Governor Braun’s appointed members each are also distinguished by philanthropic efforts and a commitment to service to their state and local communities.

The new appointed members are:

Gus Olympidis, of Valparaiso – Owner, Family Express Convenience Stores, Director on several boards dedicated to regional and community development in northwest Indiana throughout career.

John Gregg, of Sandborn – Former Speaker of the Indiana House of Representatives.

George Thomas, of Granger – Entrepreneur and executive, Adorn, Duo-Form, Lakota Trailers, Misty Harbor Pontoons, Viaggio Pontoon Boats.

Billie Dragoo, of Indianapolis – Founder and CEO, RepuCare.

David Fagan, of Portage – International Union of Operating Engineers Local 150.

Greg Gibson, of Terre Haute – Entrepreneur in commercial real estate development, hospitality and food service industry, trucking, excavation, coal, solid waste landfill development and waste industry advisory services.

Richard Waterfield, of Fort Wayne – Chairman of the Board and CEO, Waterfield Enterprises and Waterfield Asset Management, Founder and Managing Principal of Waterfield Private Equity Funds.

Chris King, of Shelbyville – Executive Vice President, Runnebohm Construction, professional engineer specializing in infrastructure design and construction, land entitlement, and project execution.

Don Lamb, of Lebanon – Farmer and Director of the Indiana State Department of Agriculture.

Governor Braun thanked those who previously served as members of the IEDC Board of Directors for their service to the State of Indiana. Prior board members’ service ends with the appointment of the new members.

JUST IN: University of Southern Indiana becomes official NCAA Division I member

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University of Southern Indiana becomes official NCAA Division I member

Screaming Eagles earn full Division I status in accelerated transition, now eligible for NCAA championships

JUNE 25, 2025

EVANSVILLE, Ind. – The University of Southern Indiana (USI) has officially joined the top tier of intercollegiate athletics, effective August 1, 2025. The NCAA Division I Board of Directors confirmed USI’s move to full active Division I membership during a meeting on Monday, June 23. This completes an accelerated transition process that positions the Screaming Eagles to compete in NCAA Division I postseason championships in all 19 intercollegiate sports beginning in the 2025-26 season.

USI becomes the 11th official NCAA Division I athletic program (seventh public) in the state of Indiana and is a full member of the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC), a historic step that elevates the University’s athletic profile and strategic vision.

“We are excited to be moving into full NCAA Division I membership a year early,” said Steven J. Bridges, USI President. “Our exceptional athletic programs are a fundamental way to achieve a core USI goal of elevating our University’s visibility and reputation. We have shown we are well positioned to compete at the highest level and appreciate the support of the NCAA.”

The Screaming Eagles announced in February their intent to pursue an expedited reclassification after the NCAA issued guidance allowing for the possibility of such transitions. Over the past three years, USI Athletics has demonstrated its readiness—competitively, administratively and academically—with championship wins in the Ohio Valley Conference and postseason and championship appearances in the Horizon and Summit Leagues. Beyond the field of play, USI continues to excel in the classroom. Student-athletes maintain an average GPA of 3.29 and have been awarded back-to-back OVC Institutional Achievement Awards for academic excellence.

“We are very excited that the transition process for Division I is now complete, and our student-athletes can earn the right to compete in NCAA Championships,” said Jon Mark Hall, USI Vice President and Director of Athletics. “It has been a heavy lift for everyone on campus, and I cannot thank our campus community enough for their efforts. Our alumni and the broader community have been extremely supportive during the process. Our student-athletes, coaches and staff are ready to embark on this new journey.”

USI Athletics has already made an impact at the Division I level. The 2024 Women’s Basketball team captured the OVC regular-season and tournament championships and earned WNIT postseason wins in the last two seasons. In the fall of 2024, USI claimed the OVC Men’s and Women’s Cross Country titles, and Cross Country/Track & Field runners garnered an additional 18 individual championships during the transition period.

“I am thrilled that our athletes who bought into our vision for the program will finally get their opportunity to compete for NCAA Division I championships,” said Mike Hillyard, USI Head Cross Country/Track & Field Coach. “It’s a privilege to get the first opportunity on our home course when the NCAA Division I Great Lakes Regional comes to Angel Mounds in November.”

USI accepted its invitation to join the OVC in 2022 and began competing in the 2022-23 academic year. The OVC, now in its 78th year, is the nation’s eighth-oldest NCAA Division I conference and boasts a strong tradition of competitive success and academic achievement.

“We commend the University of Southern Indiana for the vision, determination and hard work they have demonstrated over the past three years in completing the reclassification process to NCAA Division I,” said Beth DeBauche, OVC Commissioner. “USI has shown a commitment to excellence on and off the field, and we are excited to see them eligible to compete in NCAA postseason events. We look forward to what the future holds for their student athletes, coaches and community.”

USI’s first matchups of the 2025-26 season as official full members of NCAA Division I athletics include Women’s Soccer at the University of Nebraska on August 14, and the team’s first regular-season home match against Cleveland State University on August 17. Men’s Soccer opens on the road August 21 at the University of Louisville and hosts its first regular-season home match on August 26 against Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology. Volleyball will open at home with the USI Invitational August 29-30 against Valparaiso University, Saint Louis University and Northern Kentucky University before hosting Michigan State University on September 4.


Vanderbilt to lay off 650 amid federal spending cuts

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Up to 650 employees are being laid off at Nashville, Tenn.-based Vanderbilt University Medical Center as it plans to reduce operating costs by more than $300 million in response to government-sponsored medical research and anticipated reductions to Medicaid reimbursement.

VUMC said in May that an unspecified number of positions were being eliminated and hiring would be paused for “most research and administrative positions.” A spokesperson said in a June 20 statement shared with Becker’s that the layoffs affect those working primarily in research, administrative and other support areas.

“While this is extremely difficult, the staffing loss represents less than 2% of VUMC’s total workforce,” the statement said. “To support affected employees, VUMC is providing severance packages and other assistance.”

VUMC said it is continuing to hire frontline clinical staff for the opening of the 180-bed Jim Ayers Tower, which is expected to open later this year.