Interviews set to seat 3 new Marion County judges

The Marion County Judicial Selection Committee will begin conducting interviews late next month for three pending Marion Superior Court vacancies. More than three dozen lawyers and judges will be interviewed over the course of three days beginning Aug. 31.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the selection committee extended the deadline for applications to fill the vacancies created by the end-of-year retirement of Judges David Dreyer, Barbara Crawford, and Marilyn Moores.

Moores, who presides over the Marion Superior Juvenile Division, and Crawford, judge of Criminal Division 1, did not file for retention with the Marion County Clerk’s Office. They join Dreyer of Civil Division 10, who announced last summer his plans to step down at the end of 2020.

The initial March 30 application deadline was postponed until June 19, while applicant interviews scheduled for May 18, 19 and 20 were rescheduled to late August and early September as a result of the pandemic, the Indiana Supreme Court said.

Interviews of a total of 42 applicants vying for the open spots will begin on August 31 at 9 a.m. EDT and will take place in the FUSE Conference Center on the second floor of the South Tower at Capital Center, 251 N. Illinois St., Indianapolis.

The interviews will continue September 1 and 2 and are open to the public with social distancing measures in place. Detailed requirements will be announced closer to the interview dates. The interview schedules are as follows:

August 31
9-9:20 a.m.: Magistrate Judge Melanie Kendrick
9:25-9:45 a.m.: Magistrate Judge Jason Reyome
9:50-10:10 a.m.: Joseph Delamater
10:15-10:35 a.m.: Mellisica Flippen
Break
10:55-11:15 a.m.: Sarah Glassed
11:20-11:40 a.m.: Judge Gerald Coleman, Wayne Township Small Claims
11:45 a.m.-12:05 p.m.: Brett Thomas
Lunch – Executive Session
12:35-12:55 p.m.: Cynthia Oetjen
1-1:20 p.m.: Linda Major
1:25-1:45 p.m.: Judge Garland Graves, Warren Township Small Claims
1:50-2:10 p.m.: Samantha DeWester
Break
2:30-2:50 p.m.: Magistrate Judge James Snyder
2:55-3:15 p.m.: Matthew Dodson
3:20-3:40 p.m.: Magistrate Judge Jeffrey Marchal
3:45-4:05 p.m.: Commissioner Jennifer Springer
4:10-4:30 p.m.: Gregory Bowes
Executive Session

September 1
9-9:20 a.m.: Magistrate Judge Kimberly Mattingly
9:25-9:45 a.m.: Anne Harrigan
9:50-10:10 a.m.: Magistrate Judge Danielle Gaughan
10:15-10:35 a.m.: Lillian Frank
Break
10:55-11:15 a.m.: Magistrate Judge Ryan Gardner
11:20-11:40 a.m.: Matthew Whitmire
11:45 a.m.-12:05 p.m.: Dianne Mejia
Lunch – Executive Session
12:35-12:55 p.m.: Terrance Tharpe
1-1:20 p.m.: Magistrate Judge Geoffrey Gaither
1:25-1:45 p.m.: Patricia McKinnon
1:50-2:10 p.m.: Regina Ashley
Break
2:30-2:50 p.m.: Lawrence Hansen
2:55-3:15 p.m.: Cynthia Lasher
3:20-3:40 p.m.: Commissioner Kelly Scanlan
3:45-4:05 p.m.: Magistrate Judge David Hooper
4:10-4:30 p.m.: Magistrate Judge Amber Collins-Gebrehiwet
Executive Session

September 2
9-9:20 a.m.: Magistrate Judge Marcia Ferree
9:25-9:45 a.m.: Marla Thomas
9:50-10:10 a.m.: Beth Butsch
10:15-10:35 a.m.: Jennifer Ruby
Break
10:55-11:15 a.m.: Raiomand Krishnayya
11:20-11:40 a.m.: Matthew Symons
11:45 a.m.-12:05 p.m.: Neal Eggeson, Jr.
Lunch – Executive Session
12:35-12:55 p.m.: Charles Miller
1-1:20 p.m.: Magistrate Judge Marshelle Broadwell
1:25-1:45 p.m.: Judge Kimberly Bacon, Lawrence Township Small Claims
Executive Session

Letters of recommendation may be emailed to the committee at [email protected] and must be received by July 31.

The 14-member Committee was established by the Indiana General Assembly in 2017 and is chaired by Indiana Supreme Court Justice Mark Massa and Vice-Chair Court of Appeals of Indiana Chief Judge Cale Bradford. From the applicants, the committeee will eventually select finalists for the judgeships for Gov. Eric Holcomb’s appointment.