On June 2, Governor Mike Braun removed alumni-elected trustees from the IU Board of Trustees and appointed three new trustees including attorney James Bopp Jr.
In a press release by his law firm, Bopp said he has dedicated his life to the First Amendment and will ensure “robust and uninhibited debate” is respected for all university community members.
Bopp received a BA in history and political science from IU Bloomington in 1970. According to Bopp’s press release, he had extensive undergraduate involvement, including serving multiple roles in IUSG, the IU Student Foundation and Kappa Sigma Fraternity.
He later went on to earn a JD from the University of Florida College of Law in 1973.
After graduating from UF, Bopp served as Deputy Indiana Attorney General. He later went on to private practice, eventually founding The Bopp Law Firm, PC.
Bopp is a notable attorney, assisting with 14 cases before the US Supreme Court, including the landmark case of Citizens United v. FEC which unbanned corporations and unions from donating to campaigns.
He was a member of the Republican National Convention from 2006-2012, serving as party vice-chairman from 2008-2011.
He is also an anti-abortion campaigner, serving as the general counsel for the anti-abortion organization National Right to Life Committee. In 2022, Bopp spoke with the New York Times in a podcast about his anti-abortion work, including drafting a model abortion law to prepare for the overturning of Roe v. Wade.
Bopp also serves as general counsel for the National Organization for Marriage, a group founded to advocate for California’s Proposition 8, which overturned same-sex marriage in the state.
Bopp co-wrote an amicus brief on behalf of the RNC in support of traditional marriage for the landmark case Obergefell v. Hodges.
He was the lead counsel for eight students who sued IU in 2021 over the vaccine mandate, which the Supreme Court declined to block.
Bopp was formerly an instructor in the business school from 1977-1978 as well as a Practitioner-in-Residence for Maurer Law School in 2014. Bopp also served on the IU Student Trustee Search and Screen Committee in 2005 and 2007.
Bopp said in the release he will work to continue the success developed by members of the IU community.
“I also look forward to partnering with my fellow Trustees who have demonstrated their talents in their careers and their commitment to the success of Indiana University,” he said, “and with the President, administration, faculty and staff of IU who have brought IU to its place as one of the most respected universities in the Nation. We are all dedicated to making IU an excellent educational institution.”
