The structure of judicial selection in Lake and St. Joseph counties will soon change now that Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb has signed controversial legislation changing the composition of the judicial selection panels in the northern Indiana counties.
Despite final pleas from Lake County Democratic lawmakers to kill a controversial judicial selection bill that one said treats their county and St. Joseph County “as stepchildren,” the Indiana House voted Wednesday to agree to Senate amendments, sending House Bill 1453 to Gov. Eric Holcomb.
A parade of attorneys from Lake and St. Joe counties testified against House Bill 1453. Most spoke in disbelief that this was happening without any prior consideration. They explained why they had taken their time and traveled all the way down to Indianapolis, some twice, to tell lawmakers why this is a bad idea and why the current judicial nominating system works. It was enough to give any reasonable person pause. But this is the Indiana Legislature we’re talking about.
The South Bend city attorney has been selected to fill a vacancy on the St. Joseph Superior Court. Stephanie Steele will fill the seat vacated by now-Senior Judge Jane Woodward Miller, Gov. Eric Holcomb announced Wednesday.
A bill that would change how superior court judges are nominated in Lake and St. Joseph counties was uniformly opposed by lawyers and judges from those counties in a Senate hearing Wednesday but narrowly advanced on a 5-4 vote.
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.
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.
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.
Legal professionals in Lake and St. Joseph counties are raising serious concerns about advancing legislation that would change the structure of the local judicial nominating commissions that shape the state trial court judiciary in the northern Indiana counties.
The St. Joseph County Bar Foundation will host Monday the first of what is planned to be a recurring seminar to honor a longtime attorney and ensure that his legacy of courtesy and respect continues.
The St. Joseph County Bar Foundation's philanthropic efforts are made possible by support from attorneys and law firms, though fundraising remains a challenge for the board.
Once again, members of the Indiana State Bar Association gave up part of their Saturday to help their local communities as part of the association’s Annual Day of Service.
Former St. Joseph County Superior Court judge and former chief judge of the Indiana Court of Appeals Sanford “Sandy” Brook will return to South Bend Oct. 24 to perform in the one-man play, “An Evening with Clarence Darrow.”
St. Joseph County Bar Association Diversity Committee recently organized a Diversity and Inclusion Summit to shed light on the low number of minorities in the law and bounce around ideas about attracting more minorities, women, and gays and lesbians to the practice of law.
The Diversity Committee of the St. Joseph County Bar Association is hosting a presentation on diversity in the legal profession Sept. 24, which will include former Indiana Justice Frank Sullivan Jr. discussing inclusion among the judiciary and the selection of judges.
Read who’s been elected as officers of Tippecanoe County Bar Association and more!
After a month of collecting used business wear, the New Lawyer Committee of the St. Joseph County Bar Association has more than 1,000 suits, shirts, shoes and other items to donate to Goodwill.
Eighteen Marion County judges will be on the ballot in the May 2012 primary. The Indianapolis Bar Association is asking attorneys to voice their opinions about those jurists.