Cover Stories

By Robert Rath, Chief Innovation Officer | Indiana Office of Judicial Administration, Office of Innovation Indiana faces an attorney shortage statewide, and 49 of 92 counties are considered legal deserts—areas of the state suffering most from the shortage. The Commission on Indiana’s Legal Future was created to bridge this gap. An issue nationwide, the burden of the attorney shortage falls most heavily on res … [Read more...] about Finding Balance: Innovation Committee researches solutions to the state’s lawyer shortage

On Wednesday, January 29, 2025, Chief Justice Loretta Rush delivered her eleventh State of the Judiciary address to the state's new Governor Mike Braun and a joint session of the Indiana General Assembly. State leaders and more than 125 trial court judges from across the state filled the seats inside and outside the house chamber. The Chief Justice began by telling lawmakers how honored she was to report that the … [Read more...] about 2025 State of the Judiciary: Your Indiana Judiciary

By Jeff Wiese, Deputy Director • Office of Court Services, Legal Support Division -AND- Kathryn Dolan, Chief Public Information Officer • Office of Communication, Education & Outreach Weighted caseload study A comprehensive study shows the number of judges in the state basically meets the level of need compared to the state’s caseload. The extensive analysis is known as the Weighted Caseload Study. It’s co … [Read more...] about On Point: Study shows Indiana relies on correct number of judges statewide

By Amanda Wishin, Research Attorney | Office of Court Services Effective January 1, 2020, Administrative Rule 19 was amended to require that the courts of each county work together to draft a single court security plan that includes a continuity of operations plan. Court Security Committee Chair Magistrate Jason Reyome: “You can’t predict when something terrible is going to happen, but you can plan ahead to help pr … [Read more...] about A Plan for Anything: Court security and continuity of operations

On February 19, nearly 40 lawmakers and 25 legislative staffers made the walk down the third-floor hall of the Statehouse from the House and Senate chambers to the Supreme Court chambers. They joined media, court staff, and others for a historic event in a packed courtroom—the first Night Court for Legislators. During the 2024 State of the Judiciary, Chief Justice Loretta Rush extended an invitation to lawmakers a … [Read more...] about Night court in session