Winter 2024 Issue
SPOTLIGHT
Judges speak at events, new judges appointed, awards & honors
Judicial Appointments Daviess County Governor Holcomb appointed Dan Murrie to the Daviess County Superior Court to fill the vacancy left by Judge Dean A. Sobecki’s retirement at the end of 2023. Prior to his appointment, Murrie served as the Daviess County prosecutor and chief deputy prosecutor. Murrie earned his undergraduate degree from Westminster College and…
Fall 2023 Issue
Features
Child Support Guidelines: Significant Update Due in 2024
By Joseph Fischer, Staff Attorney • Office of Court Services, Children & Families Division Next year, a new version of the Indiana Child Support Guidelines will become effective, and it’s the most substantial revision to the guidelines since they were first established. The changes embody a significant shift in methodology for determining child support, an…
Civil Case Management Pathways Pilot
By Amanda Wishin, Research Attorney • Office of Court Services, Legal Support Division Based on a recommendation from the Civil Litigation Taskforce, the Civil Case Management Pathways Pilot Project was established by Supreme Court order and began on June 1, 2023, for a 2-year period. Why pathways? The Civil Litigation Taskforce’s Final Report recommended a…
Lovely to Meet You: A letter of introduction from the Office of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
By Rob R. Love, J.D., Chief Diversity Officer • Office of Judicial Administration Meet the team. Phyllisia Gant, Manpreet Kaur, Rob Love, Princess Darnell, and ODEI Intern Shirlyn Mthethwa. I have been honored to lead the Indiana Supreme Court’s Office of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion since November 2022. Our office is committed to the mission…
A Time to Connect: 2023 Judicial District Meetings
By Hon. Richard R. Stalbrink, Jr., LaPorte Superior Court • Hon. Jonathan N. Cleary, Dearborn Superior Court • Hon. Timothy P. Spahr, Miami Circuit Court Benjamin Franklin once said, “Be at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let every new year find you a better man.” For a court, a neighbor…
Preparing for the Future: Comprehensive Caseload Time Study in 2024
By Jeff Wiese, Deputy Director • Office of Court Services, Legal Support Division It has been nearly a decade since the last comprehensive caseload study in Indiana’s trial courts. In collaboration with the Judicial Administration Committee, the Indiana Supreme Court is gearing up for a four-week caseload time study in 2024. This is a move…
Local Collaboration Through JRAC
By Chris Biehn, Deputy Director • Office of Court Services, Justice Services Division On April 8, 2021, Governor Holcomb signed House Enrolled Act 1068, which became effective on July 1, 2021. Under this act, counties must establish the Justice Reinvestment Advisory Council (Local JRAC) in every county. The Membership & Set-Up Local JRACs are multidisciplinary…
Crafting Restorative Justice
Indiana inmates honor Supreme Court with new conference table By Vincent Morretino, Communication & Design Specialist • Office of Communication, Education & Outreach The five Supreme Court Justices regularly meet to discuss cases and administrative matters. The table where they now sit was designed and constructed by inmates at the Pendleton Correctional Facility. The men…
Supreme Court Hears 50th Oral Argument on the Road
By Cathrin Verano, Special Collection Development Librarian • Office of Communication, Education & Outreach One of the Indiana Supreme Court’s most celebrated events, the traveling oral argument, achieved two milestones on September 27. For the 50th time since 1994, the court took to the road to hear arguments outside of the Indiana Statehouse. This trip…
Spotlight
150th Legal Help Kiosk Goes Online
On August 23, the Indiana Bar Foundation and the Indiana Housing & Community Development Authority celebrated the opening of the state’s 150th Legal Help Kiosk at the Lake County Government Center in Crown Point. These kiosks offer access to resources such as the IndianaLegalHelp.org website to Hoosiers without reliable internet access. They provide information on…
New judges, national awards, library grant
Judicial Appointments Howard County Governor Holcomb has announced Rebecca R. Vent as his appointment to Howard County Superior Court 2. Vent currently works in private practice in Kokomo and will succeed Judge Brant J. Parry after he steps down at the end of 2023. Since 2008, Vent has served as an attorney for the Kokomo…