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Judiciary in Brief

Law Day speech winner Leyden Pavlica with Judge Vicki Carmichael.
Clark County Judge Vicki Carmichael with Leyden Pavlica, Law Day speech winner from Christian Academy. The fifth-grader was awarded $500 for his speech on why he was “proud to be an American.”

Law Day in Clark County

Judges, magistrates, and attorneys from Clark and Floyd counties,along with the local bar association, put on a Law Day event for kids. Students gave speeches on the reason they are “proud to be an American.” A panel of attorneys from Clark and Floyd counties selected three finalists. A student from Christian Academy was named the winner and was awarded a $500 prize.

Salute to Justice Rucker

Indiana University McKinney School of Law held a “Salute to Justice Robert D. Rucker’s Contributions to Indiana Law” on May 24. Justice Rucker reunited with Justices Boehm, Dickson, Shepard, and Sullivan to reminisce on their 11 years together on the Court, and respond to questions from the audience.

Walker named Clerk of the Year

Henry County Clerk Debbie Walker was selected by the Association of Clerks of Circuit Courts of Indiana (ACCIND) as the 2017 Marlene Sutton Clerk of the Year.

Mock trial

LaPorte Circuit Court Judge Tom Alevizos held a mock trial for high school students. He also received a Leadership Award from the Urban League of Northwest Indiana.

Judicial appointments

  1. Sara Anne Dungan was appointed as Judge of Morgan County Superior Court III succeeding Judge Jane Spencer Craney. Dungan has extensive experience with the Morgan County judicial system, having served as deputy prosecutor for nine years and as the Magistrate of the Morgan County Circuit and Superior Courts for the last three years.
  2. Peter Douglas Nugent was appointed by Governor Holcomb to the Johnson County Superior Court II, succeeding Judge Cynthia S. Emkes, who is retiring after 30 years on the bench. Nugent has extensive experience in both civil and criminal law, having served as a deputy prosecutor, as well as a public defender.
  3. Judge James R. Ahler, Jasper Superior Court, resigned his position effective June 15, 2017 to assume a position as a United States Bankruptcy Judge.

Court vacancies

The Office of Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb is accepting, or has accepted, applications for the position of judge for the following courts:

  • Hamilton Superior Court 5
  • Hancock Circuit Court
  • Jasper Superior Court
  • Porter Superior Court 2
  • Tippecanoe Circuit Court
  • Wabash Superior Court

WINGS grant awarded to Court

The American Bar Association Commission on Law and Aging awarded a $30,000 “FOCUS WINGS” grant to the Indiana Supreme Court, one of only three states with an existing WINGS program (Working Interdisciplinary Networks of Guardianship Stakeholders). Indiana will use the grant to focus on less restrictive decision-making options.
WINGS groups open doorways to communication among entities serving the same populations. The project will test WINGS as a replicable model for making improvements in guardianship, addressing abuse, and avoiding over-broad or unnecessary guardianship.