Wake Up Hoosiers

Loretta Rush, Chief Justice, The head of the Snake!

The promise of America’s justice system is fairness, transparency, and accountability. Yet in Indiana, recent developments suggest that promise is fraying.

The ongoing detention of Gabriel Whitley — an autistic person who overcame his handicaps to become the editor of the Hoosier Enquirer and an outspoken critic of the state’s judiciary — illustrates how court practices can cross the line from procedure into something that feels much closer to abuse. Where is the disability rights groups? How about Indianapolis Legal Aid Society?

Whitley has now been held for a second time this year, this time without bond, despite facing an older case that does not appear to present a risk to public safety. Even more troubling, Indiana’s own public records contain errors: offense dates listed incorrectly, dockets showing gaps with no clear activity, and filings that leave citizens wondering whether the system itself can be trusted. On August 25, 2025, for example, docket entries reveal no movement other than a notation of “failure to appear” — even though Whitley had just been released from federal custody in Illinois, making compliance all but impossible.

This pattern — questionable record-keeping, unexplained bond denials, and a lack of transparency — undermines not only Whitley’s rights but also the public’s confidence in the courts. When such treatment happens to a journalist and former congressional candidate who has consistently called for accountability, the optics are especially alarming. It risks sending a message: speak truth to power, and the system may silence you.

No one is above the law, but neither should anyone be beneath its protections.

The Constitution guarantees due process and equal protection, yet Whitley’s experience raises serious concerns about whether those guarantees are being upheld in Indiana. Holding a nonviolent defendant indefinitely, on an old case, without bond, while official records contain errors, is not simply a technical failing. It looks and feels like abuse.

This is not only about one man’s case.

It is about every Hoosier who depends on the courts to act fairly, consistently, and openly. If the system can mishandle public records, detain without bond under questionable circumstances, and leave defendants with inadequate representation, then reform is not optional — it is urgent.

A Call to Action

Citizens have a role to play in demanding accountability. Concerned readers can:

• Attend public hearings to witness the process firsthand.

• Write to officials — including Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita, national leaders like Pamela Bondi, President Trump, and Vice President Vance — to call for oversight and transparency.

• Advocate for stronger protections of free speech and press freedom in Indiana courts.

• Support defendants whose rights may be at risk, whether by monitoring cases, contributing to commissary funds, or helping ensure they have access to a proper defense.

Indiana’s courts exist to serve the people. But when procedures begin to resemble punishment without trial, and when critics of the system are among those most harshly treated, it is fair — and necessary — to call it what it is: abuse. The people of Indiana deserve a system that upholds justice, not one that undermines it. WAKE UP.