Bloomington’s Annexation Lawsuit to be Heard Tuesday

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A state court judge will issue a decision on the City of Bloomington’s lawsuit against the State of Indiana, next week. It is the first judgement in an ongoing legal battle between the city and the state, over the municipality’s attempt to annex areas of Monroe County, two years ago.

Bloomington’s annexation attempt was blocked by the Indiana legislature, who approved a clause into the state budget in 2017, blocking the city from annexing any additional territory into municipal limits, until 2022. Governor Eric Holcomb signed off on the measure. The city of Bloomington subsequently filed a lawsuit against the Governor’s office, calling into question the legality of specifically targeting the city. Last year, a state court upheld Governor Holcomb’s office as the defendant in the annexation lawsuit.

Gov. Holcomb’s office is being represented by the Office of the State Attorney General.

Both the state and the city asked a judge to present a summary judgement about the case. Legal representation from the city of Bloomington said next week’s summary judgement will essentially be a preliminary ruling in the case, which could be challenged in appeals. Both the state and the city requested a summary judgement, in lieu of a full hearing.

Next week’s summary judgement is open to the public and some court documents are currently public record.