For our 60th edition of the Sidebar, which first appeared in Indiana Court Times in 2009, here’s a look back at some highlights of the judges featured to date. They’ve shared remarkable adventures of travel (often to warm spots or national parks!), interesting hobbies, great book recommendations, and favorite quotes.
In the 2023 State of the Judiciary, Chief Justice Rush (who also loves national parks) thanked the trial court judges for their efforts and pointed out about one-third of the judges in the state are newly elected or appointed. As we get to know those new judges, we are confident future Sidebar features will be just as interesting.
Alternate Realities
We asked judges, “What would you do if you were not a judge?” It’s no surprise that a good portion (about 25%) of the judges we interviewed would choose to otherwise practice law if not on the bench, but even more would instead turn to teaching—the law or other subjects.
Interesting Others
Architect • Farmer • Florist/landscaper • Pilot
Radio host • Event coordinator • Guide at Gettysburg
Circus performer • Pro baseball player • Songwriter
In Their Spare Time
When not working, judges mostly reported enjoying spending time with family, reading, playing sports or exercising, getting out into nature, riding motorcycles or horses, fishing, and collecting—everything from military artifacts to antiques and autographs. The least typical hobbies cited by our jurists include astronomy, beekeeping, birdwatching, and playing pickleball.
Favorite Books & Authors
In our Sidebar interviews, we’ve long asked judges to name their favorite books or what they are reading at the time. Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird (1960) was the single-most-recommended book, but the suggestions overall were pretty evenly divided between fiction and non-fiction.
Historical and biographical works topped the non-fiction list, but Abraham Lincoln and the American Civil War were the most-mentioned historical subjects. Nineteenth century classics like The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain (1884) and The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas (1846) made the fiction list. But popular twentieth century writers Stephen King and James Patterson were both mentioned more than once.
Recommended Reading
“The Dark Tower” series beginning with The Gunslinger
Stephen King (1982)
“Jack Reacher” series beginning with The Killing Floor
Lee Child (1997)
Green Eggs and Ham
Dr. Seuss (1960)
Beloved
Toni Morrison (1987)
Pillars of the Earth
Ken Follett (1989)
The Kite Runner
Khaled Hosseini (2003)
Where the Crawdads Sing
Delia Owens (2018)
Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln
Doris Kearns Goodwin (2005)
Hiroshima
John Hersey (1946)
The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America’s Great Migration
Isabel Wilkerson (2010)
Bridges Out of Poverty
Ruby Payne (1999)
On Being Certain: Believing You Are Right Even When You’re Not
Robert A. Burton M.D. (2008)
The End of Your Life Book Club
Will Schwalbe (2012)
Interestingly, one judge suggested a non-fiction story about a corrupt politician, while another judge recommended a prize-winning novel inspired by the same. Huey Long’s Louisiana Hayride: The American Rehearsal for Dictatorship, 1928-1940 by Harnett T. Kane (1971) tells the story of the eponymous governor and later senator, his assassination, and the fallout of both. Years after the true events Robert Penn Warren won a Pulitzer for All the King’s Men (1946), inspired by Long’s real-life story.
Notable Quotables
It’s no wonder that Abraham Lincoln has been the most quoted person among Sidebar judges to date. Raised in Spencer County, his Hoosier fans often like to remind folks that though he may have been born in Kentucky, he became educated in Indiana. Lincoln left us many aphorisms to ponder; were he alive today, he would have been a master of social media.
I will study and get ready, and perhaps my chance will come.
I do not think much of a man who is not wiser today than he was yesterday.
And in the end, it’s not the years in your life that count. It’s the life in your years.
Abraham Lincoln, 1809 – 1865
Our judges offered up quotes from other political leaders, activists, philanthropists, novelists, musicians, actors, and even fictional characters. Here’s a sample:
“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”
– Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
“The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.”
– Edmund Burke
“Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans.”
– John Lennon (“Beautiful Boy”)
“Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”
– George Santayana
“If you can’t be a good example, then you’ll just have to be a horrible warning.”
– Catherine Aird
“Every saint has a past, and every sinner has a future.”
– Oscar Wilde
“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”
– Maya Angelou
“Courage is being scared to death but saddling up anyway.”
– John Wayne
“People find it far easier to forgive others for being wrong than for being right.”
– Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore Headmaster, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft & Wizardry (from the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling)
What’s for Dinner
In addition to lasagna and meatloaf, any “dinner with family” was often mentioned as a favorite meal by the judges we interviewed. But a few offered recommendations for local restaurants, so here’s a list of their most-loved spots across the state.
Hon. Vicki Carmichael
Hoppers Pike Street Grill
Goshen
Vera Mae’s Bistro
Muncie
Bonge’s Tavern
Anderson
Martino’s Italian Villa
Kokomo
Shapiro’s Delicatessen
Indianapolis
St. Elmo Steak House
Indianapolis
DiLegge’s Italian
Evansville