Curtis Hill facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Curtis Hill
Hill in 2018
43rd Attorney General of Indiana
In office January 9, 2017 – January 11, 2021
Governor	Eric Holcomb
Preceded by	Greg Zoeller
Succeeded by	Todd Rokita
Prosecuting Attorney for Elkhart County
In office January 1, 2003 – January 9, 2017
Preceded by	Michael Cosentino
Succeeded by	Vicki Becker
Personal details
Born	Curtis Theophilus Hill Jr. (1961-02-21) February 21, 1961 (age 64) Elkhart, Indiana, U.S.
Political party	Republican
Spouse	Teresa
Children	5
Education	Indiana University, Bloomington (BS, JD)

Curtis Theophilus Hill Jr. (born February 21, 1961) is an American prosecutor and a member of the Republican Party. He served as the 43rd Attorney General of Indiana from 2017 to 2021.

Curtis Hill studied at Indiana University and its law school. Before becoming Attorney General, he worked as a lawyer. He was also the prosecutor for Elkhart County for four terms, starting in 2003. As Attorney General, Hill supported conservative ideas. .....

In 2018, some women made claims about Hill's behavior. He denied these claims. An investigation found the claims believable, but there was not enough proof for a criminal charge. In 2020, the Indiana Supreme Court decided he had acted improperly. They suspended his license to practice law for 30 days.

In July 2020, Todd Rokita won the Republican nomination for Indiana Attorney General instead of Hill. Hill also ran for Governor of Indiana in 2024 but did not win the primary election.

Early Life and Education

Curtis Hill grew up in Elkhart, Indiana. He was the youngest son of Curtis Hill Sr., who worked for the postal service and was a civil rights activist, and Eleanor, who was a cosmetologist. Hill studied business at Indiana University. He then earned his law degree from the Indiana University Maurer School of Law.

Legal Career

Before becoming a county prosecutor, Hill worked as a lawyer in his own practice. He also served as a part-time prosecutor. In 2002, he was elected as the county prosecutor for Elkhart County in Northern Indiana.

Hill was re-elected three more times to this position. Like other Elkhart County prosecutors since 1938, Hill was elected as a Republican. In 2006, he was asked to run for a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives, but he decided not to.

Indiana Attorney General

Campaign for Attorney General

In 2016, Curtis Hill ran for Indiana Attorney General as a Republican. The previous Attorney General, Greg Zoeller, was not running again. Hill ran against Lorenzo Arredondo, who was the Democratic candidate. Hill spent much more money on his campaign than Arredondo.

On November 8, 2016, Hill won the election. He received 1,643,689 votes, which was about 61.94% of the total votes. Arredondo received 994,085 votes.

Time in Office

Curtis Hill was the first African American man to become Indiana Attorney General.

During his time as Attorney General, Hill was seen as a rising figure in the Republican Party. He often shared his thoughts on national issues on Twitter. People thought he might run for U.S. Senate in the future. As Attorney General, Hill supported conservative policies, especially those related to social issues. He was against changing the state Republican Party's stance on opposition to same-sex marriage. Hill also met with President Donald Trump at the White House several times to talk about different topics.

Views on Drug Laws

..... In November 2017, he stated that using cannabidiol oil (CBD oil) was illegal in Indiana. Even though a state law in April 2018 made a specific type of CBD oil legal for registered people, Hill believed selling or giving out CBD oil was still against the law.

The next year, the Indiana General Assembly disagreed with Hill's view. They passed new laws that made CBD's legality clearer and broader in Indiana. Governor Eric Holcomb signed this bill into law.

Hill also strongly opposed needle exchange programs. He successfully pushed Madison County to stop its program. ..... He also supported using civil forfeiture, which allows the government to take property linked to a crime.

Office Spending

In August 2017, some state lawmakers criticized Hill for how he spent state money. He spent $279,000 on changes to his office at the Indiana State House. He also spent almost $31,000 on a large passenger van to use as a mobile office. Hill's office said these expenses were necessary.

Animal Welfare and Business Issues

As Attorney General, Hill led a lawsuit with 17 other states against Commonwealth of Massachusetts. They wanted to stop a Massachusetts law about animal welfare. This law would require eggs, pork, and veal sold in Massachusetts to come from animals raised with enough space.

Indiana, under Hill, was also one of 13 states that sued California. This lawsuit was about a California law that stopped eggs from battery cage hens from being sold there. The U.S. Supreme Court did not take on either of these lawsuits.

Disagreement on Voting Rights

In 2018, Hill disagreed with a plan to add more early voting locations in Marion County. This plan was an agreement between Common Cause Indiana, the Indianapolis NAACP, and the county Election Board. A judge approved the plan despite Hill's objections.

Hill was criticized for his involvement in this case. Connie Lawson, Indiana's Secretary of State and a fellow Republican, said Hill's actions had caused problems.

Public Records Issue

As Attorney General, Hill used personal email accounts for official public business. Experts in open government and cybersecurity advise against this. In 2018, the Indianapolis Star newspaper asked for public records. Hill's office removed personal email addresses from the documents they provided.

In March 2019, an official opinion stated that Hill's office broke the Indiana Access to Public Records Act. This was because they removed private email addresses that were part of public records. The Indianapolis Star then sued Hill's office. In 2021, a judge ruled that Hill had broken Indiana's public records law. The court ordered his office to pay the newspaper's legal fees.

Investigations into Behavior

Claims and Inquiries

In 2018, several women made claims about Curtis Hill's inappropriate behavior. Four women said Hill touched them improperly at a party in March 2018. This led to an investigation. A law firm prepared a report summarizing interviews with the women. This report became public. Three of the four women spoke publicly about their experiences.

These claims led to calls for Hill to resign from his position. Top state officials, including Governor Eric Holcomb, asked him to step down. Hill refused to resign and denied the claims.

In July 2018, a special prosecutor was appointed to investigate the claims against Hill. In October 2018, the special prosecutor announced that the women's claims were "credible and true." However, there was not enough evidence to charge Hill with a crime. An Inspector General's report also criticized Hill's actions but found he did not break state ethics laws by using state resources for his defense.

Suspension of Law License

In March 2019, the Indiana Supreme Court Disciplinary Commission filed a complaint against Hill. They said he violated rules for lawyers by acting improperly towards the women. Hill argued that the Supreme Court should not get involved.

At a hearing in October 2019, the four women testified against Hill. Another woman also shared an experience from when she worked for him. In December 2019, the Disciplinary Commission suggested Hill's law license be suspended for at least two years. In February 2020, a hearing officer concluded that Hill had acted improperly. The officer recommended a 60-day suspension of his law license.

On May 11, 2020, the Indiana Supreme Court suspended Hill's law license for 30 days. The court found that Hill had acted improperly in 2018. The suspension lasted from May 18 to June 17, 2020. Hill stated he accepted the court's decision. Governor Holcomb asked the Supreme Court if the suspension meant Hill should be removed as Attorney General. The court did not clarify Hill's status. Hill appointed his chief deputy to manage the Attorney General's Office during his suspension.

Loss of Re-nomination

Despite the claims against him, Hill tried to be re-nominated as the Republican candidate for Attorney General in 2020. He faced three challengers. All of them questioned if Hill was fit for the job. The Republican candidate was chosen at a state convention, not through a primary election.

In mail-in voting at the Republican state convention, Todd Rokita defeated Hill for the nomination. Rokita received 52% of the votes in the third round. In the general election, Rokita won against the Democratic candidate. This meant Republicans kept control of the Indiana Attorney General's office for the sixth election in a row.

Campaign for Congress

After the death of U.S. Representative Jackie Walorski, Hill tried to take her place on the November 2022 ballot. He was not chosen by the Indiana Republican Party for the nomination. Rudy Yakym was selected instead.

Personal Life

Curtis Hill is married to Teresa. They have five children together. In his free time, he enjoys performing as an Elvis impersonator.