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Judge Robert R. Altice Jr. will take over as chief judge of the Court of Appeals of Indiana on Jan. 1, the COA announced Friday.
The judges of the Court of Appeals have elected Altice to a three-year term as chief, effective Sunday. He succeeds current Chief Judge Cale Bradford, who has led the lower appellate court since 2020.
By law, the 15-member COA elects a chief judge every three years.
A member of the Court of Appeals since Sept. 2, 2015, Altice’s career history includes 15 years on the Marion Superior Court, where he served as presiding judge from 2009-2011; 16 years in the Marion County Prosecutor’s Office, including three years as chief of the Felony Division; private practice in Indianapolis, where he concentrated on insurance defense; private practice in Kansas City, Missouri, where he focused on medical malpractice defense; and a stint as a deputy prosecutor in Jackson County, Missouri. During his time as a trial judge, he presided over more than 250 major felony jury trials and 15 civil jury trials.
Altice earned his undergraduate degree from Miami University of Ohio, a master’s degree in criminal justice administration from the University of Central Missouri and a J.D. from the University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Law.
Within the Indiana judicial community, Altice is a member of the Indiana Judges Association, has served on the Board of Directors of the Judicial Conference of Indiana and was a member of the Indiana Judicial Conference Community Relations and Civil Bench Book Committee.
Specifically on the COA, he recently chaired the Indiana Eviction Diversion Task Force, which is designed to assist tenants and landlords in the housing fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic. Also, he was recently tapped to serve as a liaison from the state’s appellate courts to work with and support the Marion County Small Claims Courts.
As chief judge, Altice will be tasked with representing the court at public and private events, attending ceremonies, serving as liaison to the legislative and executive branches of government, and leading the court’s administrative functions.
Bradford’s term as chief judge will end on Saturday.
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