Gov. Eric Holcomb has been presented a second time with the same slate of nominees to fill a vacancy on the St. Joseph Superior Court, potentially curing an injunction that had blocked the governor’s appointment after a local commission member sued, claiming two fellow members were ineligible.
For the second time this year, the Indiana State Bar Association is publicly opposing legislation targeting judicial selection in Indiana, this time speaking against a bill that it says would “unnecessarily change a working system” for judicial selection in Lake and St. Joseph counties.
The Indiana Supreme Court on Monday issued an order appointing Miller, now a senior judge, back to the court she attempted to retire from last year. The order authorizes Miller to serve as a St. Joseph Superior Court judge until May 1 as a fight over her potential successor plays out in another court.
A bill in the Legislature would restructure the composition of judicial nominating commissions in Lake and St. Joseph counties. Currently, an even number of attorneys and nonattorney members are appointed by local stakeholders, but the proposal would reduce attorney representation, which has prompted a backlash in the northern Indiana legal communities.
By initiating a constitutional amendment based on misinformation, three Indiana Republican state senators, now joined by multiple others, have proposed a radical resolution to eliminate citizen involvement in the retention vote of appellate judges, changing the current selection process that has been in place for 50 years. This proposal also severely decreases judicial independence and increases the political pressure on our state’s appellate judiciary. Indeed, if successful, the proposal would give the legislative branch far greater control over the Indiana state appellate judges and justices. It would also further embed in Indiana’s Constitution more systemic racism.
The pending retirement of Allen Superior Judge Charles F. Pratt from the court’s Family Relations Division will create a judicial vacancy, and qualified candidates have until 1 p.m. March 10 to apply, the Indiana Supreme Court announced Friday.
Efforts to amend a bill that would fundamentally change the composition of the judicial nominating commissions in Lake and St. Joseph counties failed in the Indiana House on Tuesday, setting up the controversial legislation for a possible final House vote next week.
Efforts to add judicial resources to several Indiana counties are continuing, with a Senate committee endorsing legislation that would benefit courts in Decatur, Hamilton, Hancock, Huntington, Knox and Lake counties. Meanwhile, a related measure that would let city and town courts keep certain administrative fees is also advancing.
A measure that would strip Hoosier voters of the power to retain appellate judges and Supreme Court justices — transferring that authority to the Legislature — has drawn fire from the Indiana State Bar Association, which warned the proposal would politicize the appellate bench and threaten the independence of the judiciary.
As Indiana’s commercial court program expands, the Indiana Supreme Court is implementing new rules to govern the appointment of judges to the specialized dockets.
Four Indiana counties are one step closer to adding judicial officers or a new court after winning the approval of a legislative committee.
Former municipal court judges in Madison and Vigo counties who have been elected to their county trial court benches will continue to preside over their former dockets at least temporarily, the Indiana Supreme Court has ordered.
Senior judges are presiding over trial courts in two northern Indiana counties due to judicial vacancies resulting from the death of a judge and another’s inability to serve due for health reasons.
A northern Indiana judge has issued an injunction prohibiting Gov. Eric Holcomb from appointing a new judge to the St. Joseph Superior Court while a lawsuit filed against the governor by a fellow Republican appointee to that county’s judicial nominating commission proceeds.
In a Q&A with Indiana Lawyer, new Southern District of Indiana Mario Garcia said he anticipates utilizing his background and diverse legal experiences to help people resolve their legal issues quickly and justly.
On this, even President Donald Trump’s most fevered critics agree: He has left a deep imprint on the federal courts that will outlast his one term in office for decades to come.
The names of three nominees vying to fill an upcoming Marion County judicial vacancy — two magistrate judges and a deputy prosecutor — have been announced.
Thomas Kirsch II has been confirmed to the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals on a 51-44 vote in the U.S. Senate. Kirsch succeeds Amy Coney Barrett after her confirmation to the United States Supreme Court.
A longtime Lake County magistrate judge has been selected to become the next Lake Superior Court judge.
Thomas Kirsch, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Indiana, will likely get one step closer to joining the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals today with the U.S. Senate scheduled to vote on the cloture motion for his nomination at 5:30 p.m.