By James F. Maguire, Editor, Indiana Court Times
This is the 44th Court Times article to highlight up close and personal a member of the Indiana Judiciary.
Shelby Superior Court #2 Judge David Riggins is our judge featured in this issue. He graduated from Butler University in 1991, and obtained his law degree in 1994 from Indiana University McKinney School of Law. Following law school he was a law clerk for U.S. District Court Judge Allen Sharp in South Bend from 1994 until 1996. He returned to Shelby County and began a general private practice representing clients in criminal, civil, estate, and family law matters. He was recruited and hired as deputy prosecutor in 1996. Riggins remained a deputy prosecutor until he was appointed to the bench by Governor Mitch Daniels in 2010.
Judge Riggins was elected in 2014 to his current term. Judge Riggins and Jennifer were married 1994 and they reside in Shelby County with their three sons, Jonathan (16), Benjamin (14), and Nicholas (11). He is active in the community coaching his boys in various sports and is a volunteer firefighter/EMT at their local fire department.
What do you like most and least about being a trial court judge?
I would break it into 3 parts: civil, criminal, and administrative.
Civil– On the civil side, I enjoy my small claims docket. I like giving people a chance to have their say and interact with the justice system.
Criminal– Being thanked (post-judgment) in public by victims and defendants about how I handled some aspect of the case.
Administrative– I like to use technology to make the court more efficient and accessible. Least likeable is trying to collect court costs and fees from scofflaws.
What was your major in college and why did you decide to study law?
Double Major in History/Political Science with a Minor in Business Administration at Butler University. But my real education took place in the “cage” in the bowels of Hinkle Fieldhouse where I was a student equipment/video manager for the football and men’s basketball teams. Following in my grandfather Charlie McElfresh’s footsteps who was the equipment manager at Butler from 1946 until he died in 1980, I learned about deadlines, responsibility, and accountability. I was also fortunate to chauffer Coach Tony Hinkle back and forth to his fieldhouse.
I decided to study law when in 8th grade we had to shadow people for a career. My father’s friend was an attorney. We spent the morning in court and the afternoon flying in his private airplane. I thought that’s a pretty cool job if you can do that. I still can’t afford the plane, but I do intend to get a pilot’s license one day.
What would you do if you were not a judge?
Private practice or start a business unrelated to law. My family owned a door and window shop when I was in law school. I enjoyed working there and growing the business. Teaching the law also appeals to me.
Who are the people you most admire?
First, of course, is my lovely wife Jennifer. She makes me a better me. We met in French Class at Butler where she graduated with a Doctor of Pharmacy. Apparently, she was attracted to my hick French accent.She has worked at Eli Lilly and Company for over 20 years.
Immediately after my wife are my parents for their perseverance with grace and humor. Our family says my dad is like a dog in an old Johnny Carson joke “Lost dog—brown fur, some missing due to mange, blind in one eye, deaf, lame leg due to recent traffic accident, slightly arthritic. Goes by the name of ‘Lucky”. My “Lucky” dad has doesn’t have mange (he has more hair than I) but he is blind in one eye, lame due to Parkinson’s, and is slightly arthritic. My mom retired to help care for him and her loyalty and devotion are inspiring.
In the law, my mentor was the late Federal District Court Judge Allen Sharp. He was my adjunct professor at Butler teaching Constitutional Law. After law school I clerked for him in South Bend. His hardscrabble early life and his success in the law were quite remarkable (with a lot of funny stories along the way). Among his printable quotes “You don’t have to be smart, you have to be careful”. For some reason, he always looked at me when he said it .
What are your hobbies or favorite leisure activities?
With three boys, we spend lots of time at football, basketball, baseball, track, wrestling, archery, robotics, academic competitions, and church, so there’s not a lot of leisure time. We are Butler basketball season ticket holders (GO DAWGS!) and I enjoy fishing and occasionally hunting or playing golf. I also love to travel and photography. The entire family just completed a mission trip in Guatemala over the Christmas break to build a house for a rural farming family.
Do you have a favorite book(s) and a recommended reading list?
I’ll give three categories: humor, history, and history (you can’t read too much history).
Humor. Any book by Patrick McManus, he is an outdoor humor writer.
Any book by David McCullough. A fantastic history writer. An obscure but great book is The Johnston Flood.
For those who think foreign meddling in US elections is new, read 19 Weeks, America, Britain, and the Fateful Summer of 1940 by Norman Moss.
Where did you grow up and how would you describe your childhood?
I had a blessedly awesome childhood. My parents raised my sister and I very well. They had high expectations of us and worked very hard to get us opportunities for success. Sometimes my father’s health made money scarce, but they made it work. During summers we were fortunate to vacation with my paternal grandparents in a travel trailer throughout the Eastern United States. From those trips I acquired my love for travel.
Looking back however, I appreciate how much environment can affect youth. Until 3rd grade, I lived on the west side of Indy. I had good friends, but some had bad intentions, and let’s say some of those intentions occasionally rubbed off. Had we not moved to rural northwest Shelby County where I attended Triton Central Schools, I probably wouldn’t be writing this now. I played football and wrestled but my friends still talk about the 2 baskets I made in 5th grade (one with my glasses knocked off!) and the season where I batted a perfect zero in baseball. These childhood friends are still my best friends today. I’m very lucky (I think).
Do you have a favorite quote?
This quote attributed to Calvin Coolidge has been in my office since I became a lawyer:
Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent.”
Where is your favorite vacation spot?
Overseas. Rural Guatemala was a great spot and I’ve been lucky to travel with my wife on business overseas to several places, but I really liked Slovenia. The people are friendly, traffic is normal, and the scenery is beautiful. Best horse burger I ever ate was in Ljubljana.
United States. Behind the wheel of my motorhome with two weeks of vacation ahead of me is my favorite place. My goal is to have our family visit every state in the lower 48 before my first child graduates from high school. We should achieve that this year. If I had to pick a spot, it’s Utah and its National Parks. A close second is Montana’s Glacier National Park. Finally, if you or your kids are into fossils and shark teeth, you must visit the tiny Aurora Fossil Museum in North Carolina where you can dig and find fossils including megalodon teeth.
Do you have a favorite meal, recipe, and restaurant?
The best single meal I’ve enjoyed was over Christmas break on the side of a mountain in Guatemala. It was a chicken/rice dish cooked by the family for whom we had just built a home. The chicken was fresh (clucking the day before), it was cooked over an open fire, and was perfect. Otherwise, my favorite meals are desserts. My wife’s sugar cream pie is the best in the State. Angel food cake with fresh strawberries and cream are 2nd. In Shelbyville, try Pasghetti’s and the minestrone soup. It’s great!