Gov. Mike Braun is tightening his grip on Indiana’s utility watchdog, naming veteran state lawyer Joby Jerrells to the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission and tapping him to replace Commissioner David Veleta. It is Braun’s fourth new appointment to the five-member IURC since December and lands in the middle of a political brawl over a controversial AES Indiana rate hike. Jerrells, a longtime government attorney, has served the state, the U.S. Army and even the vice president’s office as ethics counsel.
Braun unveiled the choice after a nominating committee sent him three finalists for the open seat, as reported by WISH‑TV. Jerrells will step in for Veleta, who voted for the AES Indiana rate increase and then submitted his resignation, according to the Indiana Capital Chronicle.
About Joby Jerrells
Jerrells currently serves as chief counsel of the advisory division in the Indiana Office of the Attorney General, where his staff bio outlines a résumé steeped in public-sector work. His career includes time as a deputy prosecuting attorney, a stint as general counsel to the Indiana Gaming Commission and more than a decade as a civilian attorney for the U.S. Army. The Attorney General’s office also notes that Jerrells served as ethics counsel to the vice president in 2019 before returning to his current state role in 2025, according to the Office of the Indiana Attorney General.
Why the timing matters
Jerrells arrives as the IURC faces blowback for approving an AES Indiana request that will let the utility collect roughly $71 million in additional revenue. The decision sparked rehearing petitions and loud criticism from ratepayers and elected officials. Braun publicly blasted the ruling as unacceptable and moved to shake up the commission’s leadership in response, according to the Indianapolis Business Journal.
Braun’s reshuffle of the IURC
With Jerrells on board, Braun will have installed four of the commission’s five members since December, a rapid overhaul that critics warn could inject politics into a body the state itself describes as an “impartial fact‑finding” agency. The commissioner post also comes with a roughly $152,000 annual salary, making each pick a high-stakes decision for a powerful regulatory panel, as News From The States has noted.
Process and next steps
Under Indiana law, the governor must choose an IURC commissioner from a short list provided by a selection committee. That panel forwarded three finalists to Braun the day before he announced Jerrells as his choice. The commission still has to sort through rehearing petitions challenging the AES Indiana decision, and the timeline for those proceedings could overlap with Jerrells’s first major votes, according to reporting from WFYI.
“Joby brings decades of legal experience and a record of public service to the IURC,” Braun said in rolling out the appointment, adding that Jerrells understands the commission’s responsibility to ensure Hoosiers have reliable energy at reasonable rates, per WISH‑TV. Ratepayer advocates, already riled by the AES case, say they will be watching the commission’s next moves very closely.
