Rush named president, chair of two national judicial organizations

Indiana Chief Justice Loretta Rush has been appointed to top leadership positions at two national judicial organizations.

Rush was named president of the Conference of Chief Justices and chair of the board of directors for the National Center for State Courts, NCSC announced Thursday. Both one-year terms began this week during a joint annual conference in Chicago.

“Thanks to the leadership of Chief Justice Loretta Rush, the residents of Indiana have seen tremendous improvements in court processes and technology,” NSCS President Mary McQueen said. “She has brought these successes, along with her passion and active leadership, to national conversations about opioid use and mental illness. Her new roles with CCJ and NCSC will build on this work to help us set priorities in other areas like racial justice and rural justice.”

Rush became Indiana’s first female chief justice in 2014 after joining the high court in 2012. She was reappointed as chief in 2019.

Before joining the high court, Rush served as Tippecanoe Superior Court 3 judge for 14 years and spent 15 years in private practice.

Rush has served as the co-chair of the National Judicial Opioid Task Force and currently serves on the executive committee of the National Judicial Task Force to Examine State Courts’ Response to Mental Illness.

Additionally, she was appointed by U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts to serve as a member of the Judicial Conference Committee on Federal-State Jurisdiction.

The Conference of Chief Justices, founded in 1949 and comprised of the top judicial officers of each state, promotes the interests and effectiveness of state judicial systems by developing policies and educational programs designed to improve court operations. It also acts as the primary representative of the state courts before Congress and federal executive agencies.

The National Center for State Courts, which collaborates with CCJ, is a nonprofit founded in 1971 that promotes the rule of law and seeks to improve the administration of justice in state courts and courts globally.