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The Marion County Judicial Selection Committee is accepting applications for an upcoming court vacancy, which will open when Judge Heather A. Welch retires in February.
The committee is accepting applications for Welch’s replacement through noon ET on Tuesday, Nov. 28. The application is available online and must be submitted through the Indiana Courts Portal.
To be eligible to serve on the Marion Superior Court bench, applicants must be residents of Marion County and an attorney admitted to the Indiana bar for at least five years. Also, state law prevents more than 52% of Marion Superior Court judges from being members of the same political party.
Welch currently presides in Court 1, Civil Division, and the committee has offered any sitting judge the opportunity to transfer courts. If any judges transfer to Court 1, Civil Division, then the vacancy will be in another court and the available position will be posted online.
More than one transfer across divisions is possible.
The committee will meet on Dec. 15 to interview applicants. Details on the public interviews will be posted online.
Once the interviews are concluded, the committee will go into executive session to consider the applicants, then publicly vote to select three nominees to send to Gov. Eric Holcomb for appointment.
Elected in 2006, Welch will retire effective Feb. 2, 2024. She is one of 10 commercial court judges in the state.
Speaking to Indiana Lawyer, Welch said her next move is to join Judicial Arbitration and Mediation Services.
“I’m really excited to move to this next journey in my legal career,” she said.
Welch also said she is going to apply to be a senior judge.
Retirement has been on her mind for more than a year, she said.
“The timing just happened, and I felt like it was best for me professionally and my family,” Welch said.
She added that she will miss her colleagues and hopes to maintain those relationships as long as she is approved to be a senior judge.
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