Committee Chairman and Indiana Supreme Court Justice Mark Massa announced the Marion County Judicial Selection Committee will meet February 12 at 9:00 a.m. EST in Room 319 of the Indiana State House. The meeting is open to the public.
The committee will review procedures for the retention of judges in Marion County trial courts for the 2020 election cycle and will schedule interview dates for the incumbents and applicants for any open seats on the Marion Superior Court.
Applications for incumbent trial court judges seeking retention in Marion County are now available. Judges interested in seeking retention should review the statutes regarding the deadlines and details of required paperwork, which must be submitted to the Indiana Secretary of State and the Marion County Clerk’s Office. The separate application, which must be submitted to the selection committee, and instructions can be found online at courts.in.gov/5551.htm.
According to state statute, a judge who intends to stand for retention in 2020 must file a statement indicating that intent with the Indiana Secretary of State and the Marion County Clerk no later than noon on February 7, 2020. See I.C. 33-33-49-13.3(b), I.C. 3-8-2-4. The law also requires incumbents seeking retention to “provide the committee with a written statement describing the judge’s qualifications…” I.C. 33-33-49-13.7(d). Completing an online application adopted by the MCJSC will fulfill that prerequisite. It, too, will be due on February 7, 2020.
The Marion County Clerk must notify the committee no later than March 1, 2020 if an incumbent judge does not file a statement seeking to be retained in office. The committee will also review procedures for applications for any vacancies that might exist if an incumbent judge does not seek retention in Marion County trial courts for the 2020 election cycle and will schedule interview dates for the applicants. As soon as practicable after it learns of a vacancy, the committee will publicly announce and make applications and instructions available on its website for persons wishing to fill the vacancy.
The committee was established by the Indiana General Assembly in 2017. Indiana law (IC 33-33-49-13.1 to 33-33-49-13.7) provides the framework for the duties and membership of the committee. Appointees are democrats and republicans as well as Marion County legal and bar association members, including:
- Justice Mark S. Massa (Chairman)
- Chief Judge Cale J. Bradford (Vice Chairman)
- Billie Breaux
- Cordelia Lewis Burks
- Lee C. Christie
- Susan E. Cline
- K. Michael Gaerte
- Rick Hurst
- Katherine F. Jackson-Lindsay
- Lacy M. Johnson
- Andrew J. Mallon
- Adrianne L. Slash
- Jennifer Thuma
- Mindy A. Westrick
Information about Marion County judicial selection in 2020 and the selection committee can be found on the Supreme Court’s website at courts.in.gov/5548.htm.
