This is the twenty-ninth of our Court Times articles that highlight up close and personal a member of the Indiana Judiciary.
Martin Circuit Court Judge Lynne Ellis is our judge featured in this issue. She received her undergraduate degree from Oakland City University and her law degree from Indiana University Maurer School of Law (Bloomington) in 1999. Following graduation from law school, she joined her step-father, John Duncan, at the Duncan Law Office in French Lick, where they formed the firm of Duncan & Ellis, PC. Their practice concentrated in the areas of public defense, domestic relations, corporate law, and real estate. She served two years as a contract attorney for the Pike County Department of Child Services and thereafter local judges frequently appointed her to serve as a Guardian Ad Litem.
When John Duncan retired in 2007, she moved her law practice to Loogootee, which she closed upon taking the bench in 2011. She served as an Adjunct Professor at Vincennes University–Jasper Campus teaching Business Law prior to assuming office. She is a member of the Supreme Court Committee on Character and Fitness for Region V (Orange and Martin Counties). Judge Ellis serves on the Indiana Judicial Center’s Special Courts Committee and is working on updates to the Traffic, Misdemeanor, and Small Claims Benchbook.
While campaigning for office in 2010, her platform included establishing: 1) an evening traffic court; 2) transparency in the court system; 3) a work release/day reporting system; and 4) a Problem-Solving Court. Since taking office in 2011, she reports that the only goal she has yet to complete is #4—establishing a Problem-Solving Court.
What do you like most and least about being a trial court judge?
I like the atmosphere of the courtroom and jury trials. I am always fascinated by the verdicts and what the jurors have to say when the trial is over. My least favorite aspect of the job is deciding which parent should be the primary custodian of the children. The decision is especially grueling when one parent moves out of state and both parents have acted as loving parents.
Why did you decide to study law?
When I moved from Texas to Indiana in 1990, I had no college education. In 1991, my step-father, John Duncan, a retired Patent Attorney for Shell Oil, opened the Duncan Law Office in French Lick to provide legal services for the less fortunate. At that time, I was unemployed and John asked me to work in his office. Our first big case was a child molesting case in Martin County. While working with John on the case, he told me he thought I had what it takes to be an attorney. So, the journey began. My son Bobby was 1 ½ years old when I enrolled in the paralegal program at Vincennes University. He was 9 years old when I graduated from law school. While at Vincennes, I interviewed Kelly Huebner, then Presiding Judge of Martin Circuit Court. I decided then that one day I would be a judge. John Duncan was my legal mentor and will always hold a special place in my heart.
What would you do if you were not a judge?
Given the fact that I am not a member of the infamous 1%, I would continue to practice law in Martin County.
Who are the people you most admire?
I admire my husband because he is my opposite and lets me be me. We had been married only a couple of years when I began going to school. He never once complained about my school work taking place over my home life and he made sure our son Bobby didn’t feel abandoned by his mother. Without Tim’s unwavering support, I would not be where I am today. Tim is calm and quiet natured. He is a natural engineer and never ceases to amaze me because he can build and/or fix anything. He would be the ultimate “Survivor” man.
I admire my Mom, Joanne Duncan. Throughout my life, she has always been there for me. She boosts my spirits in times of despair and celebrates my successes as if they were her own. She came to my rescue twenty-four years ago when I was homeless and jobless and brought me from Texas to Indiana to begin my life anew.
In the legal arena, I admire Indiana Court of Appeals Judge Elaine Brown. She always appears cool, calm and collected. When she was on the bench in Dubois County, she treated attorneys and those appearing before her with professionalism and respect. I describe her as acting with “quiet dignity”—a quality I strive to achieve.
What are your hobbies?
For many years in my limited spare time I enjoyed camping with my horse, Merlin, and working in 4-H with Bobby and his horse, Thunder. Even though Tim never rode, he built a horse camp in Orange County for our son, Bobby, and me to ride at our leisure. Since becoming empty-nesters, Tim and I have become RV bound. We have traveled to South Dakota, Maine, Kentucky and Texas. We have a trip to Michigan planned in August and another Texas trip in September.
What are your favorite books?
When I am on vacation with the girls, I read “fluff” books—the no-brainers where the women struggle with their love lives and the men struggle with the women who are struggling with their love lives. When I am preparing for an RV trip with Tim, I read travel books to learn about where we are going and the places along the route to our destination.
In my chambers, I have a 125 gallon salt water tank supplied with ocean fish and need to know about this type of eco-system. Consequently, I read books about the various marine fish—what they eat, where they come from, their environment, and how they get along with others in the tank.
I am reading El Narco: Inside Mexico’s Criminal Insurgency by Ioan Grillo. It has been a rather difficult book to get through as it goes into great detail about the killings and torture associated with the Mexican Drug Cartel. The best book I have read recently and would recommend to others is Game Change by John Heilemann and Mark Halperin. It is a behind-the-scenes look at the 2008 Presidential Candidates and their campaigns. When reading it, I found myself intrigued with the similarities between campaigns—whether on a national or local level.
How would you describe your childhood?
I grew up in Irving, Texas where I graduated from MacArthur High School in 1975. I have an older sister, Lori, and two younger brothers, Marc and Neil. We lived in a middle class neighborhood, took family vacations each year, and our parents sheltered us from the “evils” of the world. That lifestyle fell apart when I was 13 and my parents divorced. I can’t complain though because those were the years I developed my work ethic and learned that you can’t always depend on others to get you where you want to be in life. In short, those years became the building blocks of my independence.
What is your favorite quote?
My parents always told me, “Do the best you can do so that when you look back you have no regrets.” Twenty years ago, my only regret was that I had not received a college degree. Today, I have no regrets.
Where is your favorite vacation spot?
When I am on a girls-only trip, Cancun, Mexico is my favorite vacation spot. I stay at the Zoetry Paraiso de La Bonita Riviera Maya—an all-inclusive luxury boutique resort. It is all about me, the spa and R&R.
When I am with my husband, it is wherever our RV takes us. These trips are all about spending quality time with Tim, visiting with family and friends, and making memories.
Do you have a favorite meal or restaurant?
My favorite meal is any meal prepared by someone else. My favorite recipe is any recipe that calls for sugar as the main ingredient. And, any restaurant is good with me because I don’t have to cook or clean up.