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In a July 12 Indianapolis Star editorial, IU McKinney Law Professor Shawn Boyne offers her take on the calls for Indiana Attorney General Curtis Hill to resign amidst recent allegations that he inappropriately touched a state lawmaker and three legislative staffers.

“As a former prosecutor and as a current legal scholar who has spent over a decade studying the role of prosecutors in society, I would add that prosecutors play a critical role in determining how justice is defined in a community. Much more than the sum of the merits of any one single individual, a prosecutor is also a symbol of not only justice, but also fairness,” Professor Boyne wrote.

Professor Boyne also wrote about her own experiences with sexual assault, as a young marketing professional on an academic campus, and as a student on an Ivy League campus. “I mention these incidents to underscore how many women in our communities have experienced unwanted harassment solely because they are perceived to be ‘available’ to men who possess power,” she said.

Professor Boyne commended Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb and other state office holders who have called for Hill’s resignation. “As long as Hill continues to hold the position of Indiana attorney general, that office will function under a cloud that our system of justice simply cannot afford.”

Professor Boyne is Senior Mosaic Faculty Fellow, Co-Director JD Program Evaluation, and Chair of the Global Crisis Leadership Forum. A former senior trial prosecutor for the state of New Mexico, where she specialized in the prosecution of child sexual abuse and domestic violence cases, Professor Boyne teaches courses in cybercrime, criminal law, criminal procedure, and national security law. During the 2018-19 academic year, Professor Boyne will be participating in the American Council on Education's prestigious Fellowship Program.