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Thomas Fisher stepping down as Indiana solicitor general after nearly two decades

Thomas Fisher stands in front of a courthouse, speaking to reporters. Fisher is a White man with light blonde hair, wearing a suit.
Brandon Smith
/
IPB News
Indiana Solicitor General Thomas Fisher is the first person to hold that title in state history and has served in the job for nearly two decades.

Indiana Solicitor General Thomas Fisher is leaving that position next month, heading to the private sector after more than two decades in government service.

Fisher is the first person to hold the title of solicitor general in this state.

The solicitor general oversees state and federal legal action for the state. Fisher was named Indiana’s first-ever solicitor general in 2005, after joining the attorney general’s office as a deputy in 2001.

The position also specifically takes the lead on cases involving constitutional challenges. And Fisher cited three such cases as the most memorable he’s argued — one defending Indiana’s voter ID law at the U.S. Supreme Court, one defending private school vouchers before the state Supreme Court, and the recent case seeking to uphold Indiana’s near-total abortion ban.

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In a statement, Attorney General Todd Rokita called Fisher “one of the finest public servants” and “one of the sharpest legal minds of his generation.”

Fisher is now headed for EdChoice, a leading advocacy group for private school vouchers.

Brandon is our Statehouse bureau chief. Contact him at bsmith@ipbs.org or follow him on Twitter at @brandonjsmith5.

Brandon Smith has covered the Statehouse for Indiana Public Broadcasting for more than a decade, spanning three governors and a dozen legislative sessions. He's also the host of Indiana Week in Review, a weekly political and policy discussion program seen and heard across the state. He previously worked at KBIA in Columbia, Missouri and WSPY in Plano, Illinois. His first job in radio was in another state capitol - Jefferson City, Missouri - as a reporter for three stations around the Show-Me State.