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Gov. Eric Holcomb has announced new judicial appointments for courts in Marion, Allen and Delaware counties.
Melanie Kendrick and Philip Sheward have been appointed to the Marion Superior Court; Ashley Niccole Hand has been appointed to the Allen Circuit Court; and Douglas Kenneth Mawhorr has been appointed to Delaware Circuit Court 3.
In Marion County, Kendrick will be replacing Judge Marcel Pratt, who retired May 31, while Sheward will be replacing Judge Annie Christ, who retired April 1.
Kendrick currently serves as a magistrate judge in the Marion Superior Court Probate Division, where she primarily oversees civil commitment proceedings, guardianships and adoptions. Previously, she worked as a Title IX coordinator for the University of Southern Indiana, where she supervised investigations into sexual misconduct allegations, and as a public defender in Marion County.
She holds a law degree from Wake Forest University School of Law and was admitted to the Indiana bar in 2011.
Sheward is currently a partner at the Allen Wellman McNew Harvey law firm in Greenfield, where his primary focus is family law. Before that, he worked at the Allen County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office. He is also the board president of The Hope House in Greenfield, which provides shelter to the homeless community.
Sheward is a University of Pittsburgh School of Law graduate and was admitted to the Indiana bar in 2004.
In Allen County, Hand is replacing Judge Wendy Davis, who resigned effective March 14 to run for Indiana’s 3rd Congressional District. She currently serves as a senior magistrate judge in Allen Circuit Court, where she mainly focuses on family law cases.
Previously, Hand worked in private practice with a focus on family law and civil cases. She is a board member for the Allen Circuit Court Problem Solving Court Inc., which provides financial support to participants to assist with housing costs, medical treatment or court fees.
Hand entered the Indiana bar in 2008 after graduating from the Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law in Indianapolis.
In Delaware County, Mawhorr is replacing Judge Linda Ralu, who will resign effective Aug. 31.
Mawhorr has served as a deputy prosecutor for the Delaware County Prosecuting Attorney Office for almost a decade. Before that, he worked at a law firm in Muncie and as a part-time public defender.
Mawhorr also graduated from IU McKinney and entered the state bar in 1998.
All three judges will be sworn in on a date to be determined.
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