Lawsuit claims section of budget bill that changes IU’s board of trustees’ selection process is special legislation, which violates the Indiana Constitution
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. — The ACLU of Indiana has filed a lawsuit against Governor Mike Braun over provisions in the newly-enacted budget bill, HEA 1001, that change how members of the Indiana University Board of Trustees are selected.
Indiana law provides a method at every other Indiana public university for alumni to select a number of the members of each university’s board of trustees. Prior to the change in the law alumni of IU had the ability to elect three trustee members. But now, with the changes, the alumni have no role whatsoever. The suit, filed in Monroe Circuit Court, states that these sections of HEA 1001 violate the Indiana Constitution because they are “special legislation.”
“The new provisions violate the prohibition on special legislation contained in the Indiana Constitution,” ACLU of Indiana legal director Ken Falk said. “Every other four-year public university in the state has a process for allowing alumni to select at least some members of the board of trustees, and there is no justification for denying that ability to the alumni of IU.”
The plaintiff in the lawsuit, Justin Vasel, is an IU alum and was a candidate for the IU board of trustees’ election, which was scheduled to begin on June 1, 2025.
“When I decided to run for IU Trustee, I committed to defending the university's interests and alumni representation. I never imagined my first act would be to defend the very existence of the position itself,” said Vasel. “Thousands of alumni are preparing to cast their votes in this election, as they have done for over 130 years. Their voices deserve to be heard and respected, not silenced through legislative maneuvering that our state constitution was designed to prevent.”
The complaint is available here.
