This is the twenty-seventh of our Court Times articles that highlight up close and personal a member of the Indiana Judiciary.
Grant County Circuit Court Judge Mark E. Spitzer is our judge featured in this issue. He received his undergraduate degree from the University of Notre Dame and his law degree from the IU McKinney School of Law (Indianapolis). Following graduation from law school in 1990, he worked for two years as a law clerk for the Indiana Court of Appeals.
Following his clerkship, he returned to his hometown of Marion, Indiana to practice law in the firm of Spitzer, Herriman, Stephenson, Holderead, Musser & Conner, becoming a partner in 1994. Throughout his private practice, Mark’s office was a few steps down the hall from his father and partner, Herb Spitzer. His practice concentrated in the areas of municipal law, business law, and litigation.
When he left the practice he represented over forty local and regional businesses. His extensive litigation experience included numerous jury and bench trials, appearances before many administrative bodies, and appellate advocacy before the Indiana Supreme Court, Court of Appeals of Indiana, and Seventh Circuit Federal Court of Appeals.
While in private practice, he served as a part-time Deputy Prosecutor in Grant County from 1992-1995. He also served as Corporation Counsel for the City of Marion from 2004-2006 while maintaining his private law practice.
He was elected as the Grant County Circuit Court Judge in the November 2006 general election and won another term in the 2012 election. In 2008, Judge Spitzer was appointed by the Indiana Supreme Court to its Court Management and Records Management Committees. In 2010, he was appointed by the Supreme Court to serve on the Criminal Law Policy Committee, of which he is currently the Chair. He also currently serves as the President of the Grant County Community Corrections Advisory Board and President of the Inns of Court.
Judge Spitzer presides over the Grant County Drug Court and Grant County Veteran’s Treatment Court. As Judge, he has participated in several initiatives related to the implementation of evidence-based practices in the criminal justice system.
In 2010, Grant County was selected as one of seven counties nationwide to participate in a pilot project sponsored by the U.S. Department of Justice related to system-wide implementation of evidence-based practices in criminal justice, with Judge Spitzer serving as the Chair of the Policy Team. Judge Spitzer is a frequent lecturer on issues relating to drug courts and evidence-based practices in criminal justice.
His community involvement includes a two-term Chairmanship of the Board of Directors of Marion General Hospital, service as a board member on the Council on Hospital Governance of the Indiana Hospital and Health Association, Commissioner of Marion Housing Authority, President of the Grant County Bar Association, President of the Grant County Local Elected Officials Organization, and service on several nonprofit boards.
Mark and his wife, Hope, have four children, Andrew (18), Zachary (16), Nicholas (14) and Caleb (11). Mark is an avid runner, and has completed 10 marathons (including the 2013 Boston Marathon) and numerous half-marathons.
What do you like most and least about being a judge?
I like Drug Court the most. The interdisciplinary collaborative atmosphere is pleasant and challenging, and the success stories are amazing. Having said that, Drug Court is by far the hardest thing that I do as a judge, and it is has required me to become an amateur addictionologist, statistician, grant writer, psychologist, and publicity agent. However, as I tell our Drug Court participants, nothing worthwhile ever comes easy.
I like least the endless administrative minutiae that come with being a small county judge.
Why did you decide to study law?
I was a double-major in Economics and the Program of Liberal Studies (kind of a Great Books program) at Notre Dame. My father is an attorney, so I sort of viewed law as the family business. I have been fascinated with the law since I was a kid and it seemed natural to go to law school.
What would you do if you were not a judge?
I’d be a college professor, or maybe a sports journalist.
Who are the people you most admire?
I admire my parents and my wife. Both have had to put up with me for many years, with little to show for it.
What are your hobbies?
I like distance running. I never ran in high school, but took it up after I began practicing law for stress relief and to maintain my fitness. On a whim, I entered a local 5k and was hooked. I’ve run ten marathons and more short races than I can count. One of the greatest experiences of my life was qualifying for and running in the Boston Marathon last year, until, of course, the bombing. I was blessed to finish before the bombs went off. I’m hoping to do a triathlon some day.
I am also a rabid fan of college football in general and Notre Dame football in particular. There are few things better in life than a Saturday afternoon in September in South Bend, Indiana when the foot hits the pigskin.
What are your favorite books?
I’m currently working my way through the Jack Reacher series by Lee Child. Jack Reacher is a bad dude! For nonfiction, I have really enjoyed Joseph Ellis’s series of books on our country’s founding fathers.
How would you describe your childhood?
I grew up in Marion, where I now serve as judge. Marion is big enough, and close enough to Fort Wayne and Indy, that it is easy to have a nice quality of life. My four sons have attended the same grade school, junior high, and high school that I did. It has been wonderful to see my home community through their eyes.
Do you have a favorite quote?
“Hey, I don’t have all the answers. In life, to be honest, I’ve failed as much as I’ve succeeded. But I love my wife, I love my life, and I wish you my kind of success.”
—Dicky Fox, Jerry Maguire
Where is your favorite vacation spot?
Anna Maria Island, Florida, just 40 miles south of Tampa with arguably the whitest and most pristine seven miles of beach in the country, surrounded by the Gulf of Mexico, Tampa Bay, and the Intracoastal Waterway.
What is your favorite meal or restaurant?
Anything my wife cooks. Her lasagna, pecan pie, and chili are out of this world. The best restaurant in Indiana is Bonge’s Tavern in the tiny town of Perkinsville in Madison County (population under 150 people)…great food and great atmosphere. What began as a hardware store in the 1830s has been a popular dining destination since 1934. Get there early and tailgate like it is a football game.