Dearborn Superior Court Judge G. Michael Witte (now Senior Judge) was the 2008 recipient of the Indiana University Asian Alumni Association’s Distinguished Asian Pacific American Alumni Award. He received the Franklin N. Flaschner Award, given to the outstanding judge in the nation who presides in a court of limited jurisdiction, from the American Bar Association National Conference of Specialized Court Judges. The U.S. Secretary of Transportation appointed him in 2007 to the Congressional task force on Commercial Driver’s Licensing. Judge Witte was recently appointed Judicial Outreach Liaison for National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Region 5 which covers six Midwestern states.
Lake Superior Court Judge Thomas Stefaniak, Jr., was named Judge of the Year for 2008 by the Indiana Correctional Association.
Court of Appeals Judge James S. Kirsch was awarded the Paul H. Buchanan Jr. Award of Excellence by the Indianapolis Bar Association/Indianapolis Bar Foundation at a recognition luncheon held on November 20, 2008.
Marion Superior Judge Robert Altice became presiding judge of the court system for a two-year term. Judges Gerald Zore, Ted Sosin and Tanya Walton Pratt are also serving on the executive committee.
Robert Rath, an attorney with an MBA degree, is the new Director of Appellate Court Technology for State Court Administration and will be leading the Supreme Court’s IT Department. Bob has over twenty years of IT leadership experience, working on major programs for Thomson Inc. and Sara Lee, in Indianapolis and Mexico. He may be contacted in the STAD offices by phone at 317- 234-6529 and by e-mail at [email protected].