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Former Indiana Court of Appeals Judge James Kirsch, 78, died on Dec. 19 after a long illness.
Kirsch was a lifelong resident of Indianapolis and a graduate of Cathedral High School, Butler University, and the Indiana University School of Law.
Prior to his appointment to the appellate bench, Kirsch served as a Marion Superior Court judge from 1988 to 1994.
He was appointed to the Indiana Court of Appeals by Gov. Evan Bayh in 1994 and retired in 2021.
Kirsch served as chief judge of the Court of Appeals from March 2004 through February 2007.
Before joining the bench, he practiced commercial and business law at Kroger Gardis & Regas in Indianapolis, where he also served as managing partner.
“The KGR family extends our deepest sympathy to all loved ones, friends & colleagues of the late Judge James Kirsch who passed away December 19. Jim was a dedicated family man and public servant. Prior to the bench, Jim led KGR as managing partner,” Kroger Gardis and Regas posted on X.
Kirsch was a past president of the Indianapolis Bar Association and the Indianapolis Bar Foundation.
He was also a longtime professor at Purdue University. He taught law in 30 countries across five continents and holds concurrent faculty appointments at the University of Tilburg in the Netherlands and Central European University in Budapest, Hungary.
“Amidst his active IndyBar membership, Judge Kirsch was also a Distinguished IndyBar Foundation Life Fellow. He will be dearly missed,” IndyBar posted on social media.
He is survived by his wife, Jan Kirsch, to whom he was married for 37 years; his two children, Adam Kirsch and Alexandra Kirsch; and his granddaughter, Seton James Kirsch.
According to an obituary in the IndyStar, friends and family will gather to celebrate his life at a later date.
Instead of flowers, the family asks those wishing to honor Kirsch’s life to consider contributing to causes that reflect his values and commitment to justice and education.
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