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Saturday, October 22, 2005

Ind. Law - Former state senator Nelson Grills has died, at age 93

Nelson Grills has died at age 93. His long (over 1,500 words) and entertaining obituary today in the Indianapolis Star looks to have been written, at least in part, by Mr. Grills himself. Some quotes:

Nelson Grover Grills Age 93, reluctantly retired from the practice of law when he passed away on October 18, 2005.

He had been ill for a long time, but his prospective death seem to be more of an inconvenience, than a permanent set back.

He was admitted to the Indiana Bar in 1937, and practiced law for 68 years. His colorful career was full of a wide variety of clients and causes.

He practiced law until the day he died. He had a passion for the law, and a compassion for his clients; a passion for life, and a compassion for all those he encountered.

Mr. Grills served in the Indiana State Senate in the 1960s. A lawsuit brought by Grills, testing the validity of a 1941 state budget law that allowed the legislative state budget committee to play a major role in the allocation of funds during the interim between legislative sessions* (Gardner v. Grills, 1961), was a focus of my 2003 paper, "Maintaining the Balance of Power between the Legislative and Executive Branches of Indiana State Government post 1941" (available here, discussion begins on p. 15).
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*Grills’ complaint charged that the 1941 budget committee act violated article 3, section 1 of the Indiana Constitution, because it permitted persons charged with official duties under one department of the state government to exercise functions of another department.

Posted by Marcia Oddi on October 22, 2005 11:51 AM
Posted to Indiana Government | Indiana Law