Profile

Cynthia A. Baker

Clinical Professor of Law
Director, Program on Law and State Government

Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law
Lawrence W. Inlow Hall, Room 331
530 W. New York Street
Indianapolis, IN 46202-3225

Phone: (317) 278-2357
Fax: (317) 278-4785
E-Mail: cabaker@iu.edu

SSRN | Curriculum Vitae | Web Page

Education

B.A., 1988, Valparaiso University
J.D. (magna cum laude), 1991, Valparaiso University School of Law

Courses

Program on law and state government course and externship placements, state and local government law, higher education law.

Bio

As the founding Director of the Program on Law and State Government (PLSG) and a Clinical Professor of Law at the Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law, Cynthia Baker’s professional responsibilities allow her to follow one of her passions: a deep interest in the confluence of law, governance, and government. Her primary teaching responsibilities include: the PLSG externship course, state and local government law, and higher education law. She also serves as the faculty advisor law students interested in independent state government related projects, law students who are earning the JD/MPA joint degree, and MJ students with a focus on public administration and government.

Baker currently serves on the law school's faculty executive committee, as chair of the law school's Assessment and Teaching Committee, and chair of an ISBA workgroup addressing legal questions regarding government lawyers involvement in providing pro bono representation. In the recent past, Baker has served as the Dean's designee on the Commission for Indiana's Legal Future, the law school's Strategic Planning Committee, and as the law school’s Director of Experiential Learning. Baker has also served as the chair of the Section on State and Local Government Law of the Association of American Law Schools (AALS) and as the co-chair of the law school’s ABA Reaccreditation Committee. Past leadership positions have included serving as the faculty member appointment to Indiana's Commission for Higher Education, as a co-chair of the State Administrative Law Committee of the ABA's Section of Administrative Law and Regulatory Practice, and several appointments as a member of Indiana's Code Revision Committee.

Before joining the law school in 1997, Baker was a Section Chief of the Indiana Department of Environmental Management's (IDEM's) Office of Legal Counsel and also served as legal counsel to IDEM's Office of Solid and Hazardous Waste Management. Prior to her work at IDEM, she was a judicial clerk to the Hon. Robert D. Rucker of the Indiana Court of Appeals, now retired from the Indiana Supreme Court. She earned her J.D. from Valparaiso School of Law where she served as a note editor and contributing author to the Valparaiso Law Review and graduated magna cum laude.

Publications

(SSRN: http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/cf_dev/AbsByAuth.cfm?per_id=545309)

Books and Chapters

• Chapter author, Chapter 2, Local Government Powers and State Preemption, textbook, 9th Edition., State and Local Government in a Federal System (Carolina Press, 2020).
• "The Idea of Higher Education," co-editor and chapter author, "Town & Gown: Effective Legal Strategies Promoting Collaboration between Institutions of Higher Education and Their Host Municipalities" (2013).

Law Review and Journal Articles

• Externships: Teaching, Practice, and the Buildable Hour, 51 Ind. L. Rev. 428 (2018)
• Governing Choices in the Face of a Generational Storm, 48 Ind. L. Rev. 103 (2014).
• "Under Pressure: Rethinking Externships in a Bleak Economy," 17 Clin. L. Rev. 71, co-authored with Robert Lancaster (Fall 2010).
• "What Do We Expect?: An Introduction to the Law, Money and Results of State Educational Systems," 42 Ind. L. Rev. 317 (2009).
• "Bottom Lines and Waist Lines: State Governments Weigh in on Wellness," 5 Ind. Health L. Rev. 185 (2008).
• "Introduction: Megaphones and Duct Tape: Legal Tools for Religious Expression in the Public Sphere," 40 Ind. L. Rev. 491 (2007).
• "State Lobbying Reform: Indiana’s New Executive Branch Lobbying," Ed Schoenbaum ed. of News from the States, 31 Admin. & Reg. L. News 20 (Summer 2006).
• "Student Administrative Law Judges: New Dimensions in Education and Efficiency," co-authored with James Davis, Admin. & Reg. L. News 20 (Summer 2006).
• "Introduction: The Role of Law, Lawmakers, and Citizens in Establishing Public Trust," 39 Ind. L. Rev. 483 (2006).
• "Introduction: Evaluating State Government Designs of Executive Branch Adjudication," 38 Ind. L. Rev. 385 (2005).

Other Publications

• "Joint Degree Student Handbook," introduction and excerpts co-authored with Heather McCabe concerning obtaining J.D. and Master of Public Administration joint degree.

Electronic Publications/Products

• Co-authored, with Lauren Pena, Military Access: Access Military, The Young Lawyer (April 2017).
• "Reflections on an Autopsy," Association of American Law Schools New Law Professors Section Annual Newsletter (December 2009).

Presentations

• Presenter, Pro Bono: Mixed Messages, Available Opportunities, and Five Proposals, faculty brown bag (April 1, 2025)
• Presenter, Pro Bono: Mixed Messages, Available Opportunities, and Five Proposals, to the Indiana Supreme Court’s Coalition for Court Access (held at the law offices of Faegre Drinker in Indianapolis, April 25, 2025)
• Panelist, presented an overview and perspectives of four anti-DEI laws (Students for Fair Admission v. Harvard, Indiana Governor Braun’s Executive Order 25-14 Eliminating DEI in State Government, the US Department of Education’s OCR’s DCL of February 14, 2025, and (then SB, now enrolled act) SEA 289 Defining Unlawful Discrimination and Repealing University Diversity Committees) entitled Signs of the Times. The panel discussion, entitled The State of DEI, was co-sponsored by two student groups: BLSA and ACS (February 24, 2025)
• Coordinator and Moderator, Practical Legislative Advocacy Workshop at the Indiana State House, sponsored by the Indiana State Bar Association (August 11, 2023)
• Panelist, Empowering Students of Color After Affirmative Action, sponsored by the Efroymson Diversity Center of Butler University (October 23, 2023)
• Presenter, Elections and Voting Rights: The Role of the Judiciary and State and Local Governments, sponsored by the Indianapolis Law Club (November 15, 2023)
• Co-Presenter, with Professor Edye Edens. Revised Standard 303(b)(3): Developing Professional Identity at the Intersection of Well-Being, Competence, and the Practice of Law for the EXTERNSHIP 11 Conference, held at Pepperdine University School of Law (October 8, 2022).
• Coordinator and Moderator, Practical Legislative Advocacy Training at the Indiana Statehouse, sponsored by the Indiana State Bar Association (August 18, 2022).
• Panelist, Legislative Advocacy and Moderator, Wrap-up with Mock Committee Hearing Chairpersons, Role player, and critique provider for the Mock Committee Hearings for Practical Legislative Advocacy Training at the Statehouse, sponsored by the Indiana State Bar Association (August 18, 2022).
• Panelist, Legislative Advocacy and Moderator, Wrap-up with Mock Committee Hearing Chairpersons, Role player, and critique provider for the Mock Committee Hearings, for Practical Legislative Advocacy Training at the Statehouse, sponsored by the Indiana State Bar Association (August 11, 2022).
• Presenter, The Future of Work: Who, What, When, Where, and Why?, hosted by Indiana University Robert H. McKinney Program on Law and State Government Fellowship Symposium (October 19, 2018).
• Presenter, Democracy, and Work: Work and Democracy, hosted by the Program on Law and State Government Fellowship Symposium (October 19, 2018).
• Presenter, Tenacity of Indiana Townships, at the Indiana Law Review Symposium, Indiana's Vice Presidents: Significant Developments in History and the Law, held at the State House (March 29, 2018).
• Co-presented with Professor Joel Schumm, Judicial Independence in Changing Times, Annual Meeting of the Judicial Conference of Indiana (September 14, 2017).
• Co-presenter, with Professor Joel Schumm, Judicial Independence: An Interactive Case Study, for the Indiana Summit on Judicial Independence, Impartiality, and Access, hosted by the Indiana State Bar Association (August 25, 2017).
• Presenter, Why States Matter, to the Vietnamese delegation from Vietnam National University and Center for American Law Research to the IURHM School of Law (June 29, 2017).
• Presenter, Should States Provide SuperGlue, WD-40, or Both? 2017 Program on Law and State Government Fellowship Symposium, State Governments' Role in Bridging the Urban/Rural Divide (October 23, 2017)
• Co-Presenter and panelist, Teaching State and Local Government Law to Today's Law Students, sponsored by the International Municipal Lawyers Association, Annual Meeting in Niagara Falls, Ontario (October 16, 2017).
• Presenter, Two Fellows, One Year, A Million Ideas and How Relevant Are State Governments in Time of Crisis? 2016 PLSG Fellowship Symposium (September 30, 2016).
• Co-presenter with Professor Joel Schumm, Against the Current: When Concurrent Externships Make Sense, Externship 8, Building on Common Ground, sponsored by the Cleveland-Marshall College of Law (March 4, 2016).
• Co-chair and Moderator, Infraculture and Public-Private Partnerships: Legal Tools for Economic Recovery and Community Development, Annual Meeting of the Association of American Law Schools, New York, New York (January 7, 2016).
• Co-presenter, with Professor Joel Schumm, Collateral Damage: The Effects of Criminal Activities on Our Children, 2015 School for Legislators, sponsored by the Indiana State Bar Association, Indiana State House (November 16, 2015).
• Co-presenter, with Professor Max Huffman, ABA Reaccreditation: A Process with Purpose, Fall Update, hosted by the IU McKinney Law School for the school’s Alumni Board
• Co-presenter, with Professor Max Huffman, ABA Reaccreditation: A Process with Purpose, hosted by the IU McKinney Law School for the school’s Board of Visitors (May, 8, 2015).
• Co-presenter, with Professor Max Huffman, ABA Reaccreditation: A Process with Purpose, Fall Update, hosted by the IU McKinney Law School for the school’s Alumni Board (October 23, 2015).
• Panelist, Horizontal Federalism: States Regulating States, hosted by the National Association of Attorneys General at the Midwestern Region Meeting, Federalism in the 21st Century, at the IU McKinney Law School (April 1, 2015).
• Co-presenter, with Professor Joel Schumm, Welcome to Drug Court, 2014 Law School for Legislators, sponsored by the Indiana State Bar Association, Indiana State House (November 17, 2014).
• Presenter, Pedagogy and Impact of Program on Law and State Government, to Vietnamese delegation of legal academics hosted by Professor Xuan-Thao Nguyen, Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law, Indianapolis, Indiana (September 22, 2014).
• Presenter, Pro-Choice: Race Conscious University Admissions and the U.S. Supreme Court, Constitution Day CLE sponsored by Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law (September 17, 2014).
• Symposium Host and Presenter, What Can Lawyers Do?, at the 2014 Program on Law and State Government Fellowship Symposium, In Our Backyard: State Governments Respond to Sex Trafficking of Children, Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law, Indianapolis, Indiana (September 19, 2014).
• Presenter, Introduction to State Public Records and Open Door Laws, legislative fellows from Brazil and the Dominican Republic (May 6, 2014).
• *Panelist and Presenter, The Changing Idea of Higher Education and What State & Local Governments are Doing About It, sponsored by the Section of State & Local Government Law of the American Bar Association, Asheville, North Carolina (April 25, 2014).
• Symposium Host, State Governments Face the Realities of Aging Populations, Program on Law and State Government Fellowship Symposium, Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law, Indianapolis, Indiana (September 20, 2013).
• Presenter, Public Records: Transparency & Democracy on Our Digital Age, Guests from Law Schools in Espirito Santo, Brazil, Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law, Indianapolis, Indiana (September 4, 2013).
• Presenter, Public Records: Transparency & Democracy on Our Digital Age, sponsored by the Legislative Fellows Program of Partners of the Americas, Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law, Indianapolis, Indiana (April 19, 2013).
• "So That's How it Works: Perspectives on the Criminal Law/Civil Law Divide in Family Law and Juvenile Delinquency Matters," author and presenter, Indiana State Bar Association Law School for Legislators, Indianapolis, Indiana (November 19, 2012).
• Panelist, Speedway Exchange Club Candidate Forum, Speedway High School (October 22, 2012).
• "What’s Politics Got to Do with It?" co-presenter with Joel Schumm at Externship 6: Preparing Lawyers, Harvard Law School, Boston Massachusetts (March 3, 2012).
• "An Objective Discussion on Public Sector Pension Plans," Panelist, sponsored by the Association of American Law Schools Section on Employee Benefits and Executive Compensation, co-sponsored by Section on State and Local Government Law, Washington, D.C. (January 7, 2012).
• "Let’s Put it in Perspective," co-author and co-presenter with John Trimble, Indiana State Bar Association Law School for Legislators, Indianapolis, Indiana (November 21, 2011).
• "Faculty Engagement Toward Student Learning Outcomes," conference host and presenter, Faculty Leadership Conference sponsored by the Indiana Commission for Higher Education (April 29, 2011).
• "Focusing on Student Learning Outcomes in Indiana," welcome and introductory remarks, Indiana Commission on Higher Education Faculty Conference on SLOs, Indiana History Center, Indianapolis, Indiana (February 25, 2011).
• "Public Entrepreneurship in State Government," conference faculty host, Program on Law and State Government Fellowship Symposium, Indianapolis, Indiana (October 1, 2010).
• "Faculty Response and Responsibilities in Tough Economic Times," conference host and presenter, Faculty Leadership Conference, sponsored by the Indiana Commission for Higher Education, Indianapolis, Indiana (April 23, 2010).
• "Creating Connections, Advancing Excellence, Envisioning the Future," to law school’s Board of Visitors and Alumni Board Summit Meeting, Indianapolis, Indiana (April 16, 2010).
• "Under Pressure: Rethinking the Role of Externships in a Bleak Economy," co-presenter with Robert Lancaster at Externships 5: Responding to Changing Times, University of Miami School of Law, Coral Gables, Florida (March 5, 2010).
• "ICHE, the Law, and Me," annual meeting of the Indiana Conference of the American Association of University Professors, University of Indianapolis, Indianapolis, Indiana (November 2009).
• "Big Objectives and Fine Print of Energy Policy," Program on Law and State Government Fellowship Symposium, Indianapolis, Indiana (October 2, 2009).
• Presented Remarks, "Reflections and Celebration in Honor of Judge Larry J. McKinney," co-sponsored by the United States District Court, Southern District of Indiana, the Indiana State Bar Association, the Indianapolis Bar Association, and the Indianapolis Chapter of the Federal Bar Association at the U.S. Courthouse in Indianapolis, Indiana (September 2, 2009).
• Moderator, "The Counsel of Chiefs: An Open Discussion of State Supreme Court Chief Justices and the Challenges of State Courts of Last Resort," sponsored by the American Constitution Society Indianapolis, Indiana (September 9, 2009).
• Moderator, "Code Enforcement in Marion County," sponsored by the Government Practice Section of the Indianapolis Bar Association, Indianapolis, Indiana (November 6, 2008).
• "What Do We Expect?: An Introduction to the Law, Money, and Results of State Educational Systems," Program on Law and State Government Fellowship Symposium, Indianapolis, Indiana (October 3, 2008).
• Panelist, "Economic Crisis and the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008," sponsored by the Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law, Indianapolis, Indiana (October 23, 2008).
• Panelist, "Indiana Administrative Law Update: Pointers, Pitfalls & Predictions," sponsored by the Government Practice Section of the Indianapolis Bar Association, Indianapolis, Indiana (September 30, 2008).
• Chair and Moderator, "Change and Challenge: State and Local Government Response to Indiana’s New Property Tax Laws," sponsored by the Government Practice Section of the Indianapolis Bar Association, Indianapolis, Indiana (June 6, 2008).
• "Bottom Lines and Waist Lines: Why Governments Should Weigh In on Wellness," Capital University Law School Faculty Development Lecture Series, Columbus, Ohio (February 22, 2008).
• "Hamilton County’s Governments, Political Structure, and You!" Hamilton County Leadership Academy, Hamilton County Judicial Center, Noblesville, Indiana (November 8, 2007).
• "The Legal and Political Landscape of Wellness," Program on Law and State Government Fellowship Symposium, Indianapolis, Indiana (October 5, 2007).
• Co-Chair, "It’s a Wrap: Review of the 2007 Session of the Indiana General Assembly," Government Practice Session of the Indianapolis Bar Association, Indianapolis, Indiana (June 11, 2007).
• "Legal Contours of Religious Expression in the Public Sphere," Program on Law and State Government Fellowship Symposium, Indianapolis, Indiana (September 29, 2006
• "Democracy, Design, and Budget Dynamics of Local Governments," Hamilton County Leadership Academy, Hamilton County Courthouse, Noblesville, Indiana (May 11, 2006).
• Moderator, "Tales of TIF, Trails, and Tax Breaks," Government Practice Section of the Indianapolis Bar Association, Indianapolis, Indiana (March 22, 2006).
• "Legal Anatomy of a State Museum: Fundamentals of Law, Lawyering and Governance Explored," UCLA University of London Sixth International Clinical Conference, Lake Arrowhead, California (October 28, 2005).
• Moderator, "Integrity in Public Service: Living up to the Public Trust?" Program on Law and State Government Fellowship Symposium, Indianapolis, Indiana (September 29, 2005).
• Panelist, "Legislative and Lawyering Responses to Apology in Problem Solving Advocacy," National Employment Lawyers Association – Indiana Affiliate, Indianapolis, Indiana (June 9, 2005).
• Keynote Address, "Unigov in Context: Metropolitan Governments’ Responses in History and Law," Unigov at 35 Workshop sponsored by the Office of the Mayor of the City of Indianapolis, Indiana University Robert H. McKinney, Indianapolis, Indiana (February 10, 2005).
• "Converging Lessons of Design and the Program on Law and State Government," Faculty Colloquium Series, Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law, Indianapolis, Indiana (February 23, 2005).
• "Government Design and You: Defining the Struggle Between Individual Interests and Collective Power," Hamilton County Leadership Academy, Hamilton County Courthouse, Noblesville, Indiana (November 10, 2004).
• Panelist, "A Brief History of Indiana’s Public Records Law: From King to Counter Terrorism," also moderated subsequent panel discussion sponsored by the Spirit and Place Festival and the Indiana Coalition for Open Government, "Public Memory, Public Records: Empowering Citizen Access," Indianapolis, Indiana (November 13, 2003).
• "Capital City Law Schools: Creating Connections Between Legislatures and Law Students," at the National Conference of State Legislatures Annual Meeting, Indianapolis, Indiana (July 25, 1999).
• "Defining the Government Lawyer’s Client: Loyalty to Whom?" Indiana Municipal Lawyers Association, Indiana Association of Cities and Towns Annual Meeting, Indianapolis, Indiana (June 11, 1999).
• Moderator, "Indiana’s Property Tax Structure: What We Are Doing with the “Sargasso Sea” of ipse dixits?" Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law Breakfast CLE Program, Indianapolis, Indiana (March 3, 1999).
• "The Great Lakes Initiative and the Question of Federalism," ABA Section Meeting of Administrative Law and Regulatory Practice at Northwestern University School of Law, Chicago, Illinois (July 17, 1998).
• "The State Role in Environmental Law and Base Cleanup," Conference of Global Green U.S.A., Indiana Government Conference Center, Indianapolis, Indiana (November 21, 1997).
• "Managing the Access to Public Records Act and Indiana’s Open Door Law," Annual Meeting of the Managers of the Indiana Department of Environmental Management, Indiana War Memorial, Indianapolis, Indiana (December 12, 1995).

Other Activities

• Member, Indiana State Bar Association - Law School for Legislators Task Force, Governmental Practice Section, and Professional Legal Education, Admissions and Development Section.
• Member, Association for American Law Schools - Sections on State and Local Government and Clinical Legal Education.
• Faculty Advisor, Environmental Law Society
• Member, American Bar Association - Government and Public Sector Lawyers Division, Section of State and Local Government Law, Section of Administrative Law and Regulatory Practice, and Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar.