Subscriber Benefit
As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe Now
Jurists from across Indiana were recognized by Indiana Chief Justice Loretta Rush at the annual Judicial Conference for their commitment to higher education and their long-time service.
According to an Indiana Supreme Court news release, 23 judicial officers received an Indiana Judicial College certificate, 31 were recognized for participating in the Indiana Graduate Program for judges and six were honored for years of service on the bench.
For the Indiana Judicial College, judicial officers must complete 120 hours of education presented by the Indiana Office of Court Services to receive the certificate. The program enhances legal knowledge and improves personal and professional development.
Judicial officers recognized with certificates included:
- Judge Kimberly Bacon (Marion County)
- Magistrate Judge Robert Boling (Lake County)
- Judge Hubert Branstetter (Fayette County)
- Commissioner Christopher Cage (Madison County)
- Judge Travis Clowers (Posey County)
- Judge Mark Dudley (Madison County)
- Judge Craig Goedde (Posey County)
- Judge Garland Graves (Marion County)
- Judge Ashley Hand (Allen County)
- Magistrate Judge Therese Hannah (Marion County)
- Referee Timothy Haraminac (Lake County)
- Judge Holly Harvey (Monroe County)
- Judge Christopher Kehler (Kosciusko County)
- Magistrate Judge Jennifer Kinsley (Shelby County)
- Magistrate Judge John Link (LaPorte County)
- Judge David McCord (Henry County)
- Judge Jeffrey Meade (Gibson County)
- Judge Donald Mote (Jefferson County)
- Judge James Muehlhausen (Cass County)
- Judge Brenda Roper (Marion County)
- Magistrate Judge Aric Rutkowski (St. Joseph County)
- Judge Leslie Shively (Vanderburgh County)
- Judge Jason Thompson (White County)
The Indiana Graduate Program for Judges is a limited attendance educational experience for appellate and trial judges that offers an in-depth and intensive learning experience. Attendees must commit to one week of course work for two consecutive summers.
Judges recognized for completing the program included:
- Judge Kimberly Bacon (Marion County)
- Judge Kelly Benjamin (Bartholomew County)
- Judge Cristal Brisco (St. Joseph County)
- Judge Stephanie Campbell (Fountain County)
- Judge Samuel Cappas (Lake County)
- Judge John Chavis (Marion County)
- Judge Michael Christofeno (Elkhart County)
- Judge Benjamin Diener (Carroll County)
- Judge Douglas Fahl (Whitley County)
- Magistrate Judge Carolyn Foley (Allen County)
- Magistrate Judge Alison Frazier (Scott County)
- Judge Faith Graham (Tippecanoe County)
- Judge Greg Granger (Warrick County)
- Judge Holly Harvey (Monroe County)
- Judge Amy Jones (Marion County)
- Judge Robert Kreig (Gibson County)
- Judge Chad Kukelhan (Adams County)
- Judge Helen Marchal (Marion County)
- Judge Marissa McDermott (Lake County)
- Justice Derek Molter (Indiana Supreme Court)
- Judge Jason Mount (Scott County)
- Judge David Najjar (Hamilton County)
- Judge John Plummer (Lawrence County)
- Magistrate Judge Graham Polando (St. Joseph County)
- Judge Steven Poore (Marion County)
- Judge Hunter Reece (Warren County)
- Judge Matthew Rentschler (Whitley County)
- Judge Lori Schein (Boone County)
- Judge Robert Sirk (Hancock County)
- Judge AmyMarie Travis (Jackson County)
- Judge Leanna Weissmann (Court of Appeals of Indiana)
Awards were also presented to judicial officers with 24 years of service on the bench. Trial judges are commonly elected to a six-year term, so a judge receiving this certificate has likely been elected more than four times.
Honorees included:
- Magistrate Judge Kathleen Belzeski (Lake County)
- Judge Linda Brown (Marion County)
- Magistrate Judge Brian Cook (Allen County)
- Judge Jennifer DeGroote (Allen County)
- Justice Christopher Goff (Indiana Supreme Court)
- Judge Wayne Trockman (Vanderburgh County)
At the same conference, the Indiana Judges Association also presented several awards, according to the release.
Executive, legislative, judicial and media awards were presented to honor leaders in their respective fields. The honorees included:
- Jay Chaudhary, Family and Social Services Administration Division of Mental Health and Addiction
- Susan Glick, R-LaGrange
- Sharon Negele, R-Attica
On behalf of the IJA, the Judicial Conference Community Relations Committee presented outreach awards to Delaware Circuit Judge Kim Dowling and the Indiana Pro Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists for their efforts at communicating the work of the courts.
Please enable JavaScript to view this content.