Powerful anti-abortion lawyer, Trump supporter among Braun's IU trustee appointments
Gov. Mike Braun's new appointees to Indiana University's board of trustees include a prominent conservative attorney who's argued cases before the U.S. Supreme Court and a sports anchor who's openly stumped in support of Donald Trump, stoking fears that the changes to the board's composition are politically motivated.
Braun removed all three alumni-elected trustees from the board on May 31 after a controversial provision in the state budget bill granted him the power to appoint all nine of the board's members. On June 2, Braun's office announced that James Bopp Jr., Sage Steele and Brian Eagle would be replacing the three trustees, serving three and two-year terms, respectively. He also reappointed current board chair Quinn Buckner for another year.
James Bopp is a prominent conservative attorney who's brought cases before the U.S. and state supreme courts. In 2013, the National Law Journal listed Bopp as one of the 100 most influential lawyers in America.
Bopp was the attorney in the landmark McCutcheon vs. Federal Election Commission (FEC) case that eliminated caps on individual campaign contributions. He drafted the initial complaint for Citizens United vs. FEC, the landmark Supreme Court case that paved the way for the creation of super PACs.
Bopp has served as general counsel for the anti-abortion group National Right to Life since 1978 and is the attorney for election integrity group True the Vote, which has repeatedly pushed claims that the 2020 presidential election was stolen despite admitting before a judge that they had no evidence. He also co-founded Hoosiers for Opportunity, Prosperity & Enterprise (HOPE), a conservative policy making organization that heavily influenced Braun's policy positions.
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Between 1992 and 2025, Bopp has contributed over $43,000 to Republican candidates on the state and federal level, according to FEC data.
Sage Steele is a sports anchor and media personality who was suspended from her job at ESPN after making controversial comments about vaccine mandates and Barack Obama's race during a podcast appearance. During her appearance on Uncut with Jay Cutler, Steele called vaccine mandates 'sick' and questioned why Obama identified as Black despite being raised by a white mother. She later sued ESPN for violating her First Amendment rights and settled with her former employer for around $500,000.
Steele has become more outspoken in her conservative politics in recent years, joining Lara Trump and Tulsi Gabbard for a 'Women for Trump' tour on the campaign trail last October.
The board has never been entirely apolitical; former trustee and Indiana Pacers president James T. Morris served on the staff of Republican Indianapolis Mayor Richard Lugar before his time on the board, and former member Bruce Cole was chairman of the National Endowment for the Humanities under George W. Bush before he was a trustee.
Still, Braun's decision to select two outspoken conservative personalities has only added to criticism of what some IU faculty have described as a political 'takeover'of the board. The budget provision eliminating alumni-elected trustees, which Braun previously said he didn't recommend but supported, is currently the subject of an ACLU lawsuit.
During a media appearance on June 3, Braun defended his decision to select Bopp, touting his reputation as a First Amendment lawyer. Bopp has argued several First Amendment cases before the Supreme Court, mostly about campaign finance contributions.
'He's making it clear that it ought to be a place where all views are listened to, and you don't try to squelch anything based upon what your point of view might be, and make sure it's all within the decorum of law and the Constitution,' Braun said. 'I think he is emblematic that the first amendment makes sense, and he's a guy that's been for it through thick and thin.'
Brian Rosenzweig at brian@heraldt.com. Follow him on X/Twitter at @brianwritesnews.
This article originally appeared on The Herald-Times: Gov Braun IU trustee appointments James Bopp Sage Steele prominent conservatives
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