INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — An advocacy group said Thursday it wants to make Tuesday’s Indiana Supreme Court retention election a referendum on the state’s abortion ban.

Kaitie Rector, advocacy director MADVotersHe says the court’s decision in June 2023 to uphold Indiana’s near-total abortion ban goes against his organization’s values ​​of equality in health care, education and other areas. He said that his organization opposed the retention of three of the court’s judges on these grounds.

Indiana Supreme Court Chief Justice Loretta Rush and justices Mark Massa and Derek Molter will remain in office in next week’s election, along with Indiana Court of Appeals judges Rudolph Pyle and Peter Foley. State law prohibits judges from campaigning in retention elections. Rush, Massa and Molter supported the resolution upholding the ban.

The Rector said, “Our goal is to ensure that people trust us and decide on our behalf at the ballot box. “We’re excited that the conversation is even happening.”

In September, the Indiana State Bar Association, which represents attorneys, judges and other legal professionals in the state, investigated the membership of all five jurists on the ballot. Association members approved all five Votes in favor range from 84% to 88% of survey respondents.

Association leaders were not available to talk to News 8 about their support Thursday. In a column In the report released after the membership survey results were released, association leaders wrote that their organization’s overwhelming support for judges reflects their confidence in the service of judges and their commitment to the rule of law.

“While it is natural for individuals to react strongly to judicial decisions, focusing on a single case to decide whether a judge should be retained undermines the foundations of judicial independence.

“Therefore, it is important that retention decisions reflect the judge’s entire career, not individual decisions.

“Judges are not elected politicians and their roles are fundamentally different. They do not campaign or make promises in exchange for votes. Instead, they are tasked with interpreting the law impartially. “Allowing remand elections to become a referendum on one or two high-profile cases risks distorting the judicial process and jeopardizing the ability of the courts to operate independently.”

Indiana State Bar Association

The chancellor said bar leaders made a fair point and that voters should ultimately decide what is right. He says he prefers to hold judges accountable for their decisions and take the chance to appoint someone else to replace the governor in the future. Rector says voting against retaining judges is the next best option, since Indiana does not allow initiative-driven ballot measures like many other states do and is one of the states that has so far defended abortion rights.

Early voting ends at noon on Monday. On Tuesday, the polls will be open between 06.00 and 18.00 local time. Citizens who line up to vote at 18:00 will be able to vote.