Judicial Appointments
Indiana Supreme Court
On June 10, Governor Holcomb announced that Judge Derek Molter will become the 111th justice of the Indiana Supreme Court. Judge Molter earned his undergraduate degree and his J.D. from Indiana University, studying law at Maurer and graduating magna cum laude in 2007. He worked in private practice in Washington, D.C., and Indianapolis, becoming a partner for Ice Miller in 2016. He was appointed to the Court of Appeals of Indiana in August 2021.
Judge Molter is a member of various bar associations, serves on the Board of Directors for the Indianapolis Legal Aid Society, and is on the College Alumni Board for Indiana University’s College of Arts and Sciences. In his spare time, he enjoys boating, reading, and following his children’s sporting activities.
Johnson County
Douglas B. Cummins was appointed to fill a vacancy in Johnson Superior Court 3 created by Judge Lance Hammer’s resignation in February. Since 2015, Cummins has served as the Magistrate for Johnson County Superior Court. He was in private practice from 2013-2015 and was a deputy prosecutor in Johnson County for 12 years prior to that. Cummins earned an undergraduate degree from the University of Maryland College Park, and a law degree from Indiana University McKinney School of Law. He served in the United States Air Force for 10 years before becoming a lawyer and is currently a co-owner of an animal rescue and rehoming organization.
Lake County
Rehana Adat-Lopez was appointed to the Lake Superior Court to fill the vacancy created by the unexpected death of Judge Diane Ross Boswell on October 19, 2021. Adat-Lopez worked as the director and attorney for Lake County CASA beginning in 2013 and served as a team member for the Family Recovery Court. Prior to this, she worked as an attorney for the Indiana Department of Child Services. Adat-Lopez also has experience as a sole practitioner, and as an attorney in private firms. She received her Bachelor of Arts from Loyola University and her law degree from Valparaiso University School of Law.
St. Joseph Commercial Court
St. Joseph Superior Court Judge Cristal Brisco was appointed by the Indiana Supreme Court to serve as one of ten commercial court judges across the state, filling a vacancy created by the retirement of Judge Steven Hostetler. Judge Brisco was appointed to the St. Joseph Superior Court in June 2021, after serving as a magistrate judge in the county since 2018. She previously held positions as a lawyer for Barnes & Thornburg LLP, corporation counsel for the City of South Bend, and general counsel for Saint Mary’s College. Judge Brisco is a graduate of Valparaiso University and earned her law degree from the University of Notre Dame Law School.
Two Indiana Courts Receive Funding to Launch Eviction Diversion Programs
After completing a competitive application process and passing review by an advisory council led by the National Center for State Courts (NCSC), the Allen Superior Court in Fort Wayne and the Lawrence Township Small Claims Court in Marion County have been awarded grants from the NCSC Eviction Diversion Initiative. Successful eviction diversion programs provide landlords and tenants with the time and resources necessary to resolve housing problems without prolonged litigation. Each court will use NCSC grant funding to hire dedicated staff to implement holistic, sustainable, and community-driven strategies to strengthen eviction diversion efforts and improve housing stability in Indiana.
District Meetings
The 2022 spring district meetings were held from March 11-22 and provided the opportunity for judicial project updates and other essential information to be shared among Indiana judicial officers. Topics included the expansion of Commercial Courts to ten counties, the launches of a digital evidence portal and an attorney dashboard, upcoming caseload allocation plan deadlines, and the introduction of a new jail management system.
Huntington Community Corrections Creates Treatment Recovery Center
Huntington Community Corrections is reimagining its approach to addiction recovery by establishing a treatment-focused addictions recovery and work-release center, The O’Donnell Center. The Center will be home to county government offices, a new radio antenna for emergency call purposes, and include offices for Parkview Behavioral Health. The Center will be located on the grounds that previously belonged to Our Lady of Victory Missionary Sisters, also known as Victory Noll.
The O’Donnell Center will provide an opportunity for individuals struggling with drug-addiction to change their surroundings to an environment that fosters success by shifting the people, places, and things that previously surrounded them. Work-release participants will be provided with employment assistance and training in basic job skills.
The treatment-focused addictions recovery and work-release center will be overseen by Huntington Community Corrections. Superior Court Judge Jennifer E. Newton, Community Corrections Advisory Board President, believes the O’Donnell Center “will provide a unique opportunity for some participants in the criminal justice system to receive addictions treatment and other important life skills, while also serving a term of incarceration.” She is working with community leaders and writing the policies and procedures that will guide the center.