Why it matters: If Rokita’s found guilty, discipline could range from public reprimand to disbarment, which would cost him his elected office.
The intrigue: Much of what Rokita is accused of doing played out on national television, in public statements to media outlets and in social media posts.
- State law requires that complaints against a doctor’s medical license “shall be held in strict confidence until the attorney general files notice with the board of the attorney general’s intent to prosecute the license.”
What they’re saying: The complaint against Rokita alleges that his public comments about his investigation of Bernard before his complaint was filed in November violate the state’s confidentiality laws and rules of professional conduct.
The big picture: Bernard sparked a national conversation about abortion — and became Rokita’s target — after she told the IndyStar about a 10-year-old patient who traveled to Indiana for an abortion from her home state of Ohio in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe v. Wade.