Indianapolis – The Office of the Governor outlined the selection process for the new Indiana Supreme Court justice, following the Judicial Nominating Commission’s (JNC) announcement of its three nominees for the vacancy. The nomination process follows Justice Brent Dickson’s announcement that he would retire April 29 after 30 years on the bench.
According to the Indiana Constitution and state statute, the seven-member JNC must recruit and select candidates to fill vacancies on Indiana appellate courts. Interested candidates had more than two months to submit an application. The JNC considered applicants’ legal education, writings, reputation in the practice of law, and other pertinent information. It also conducted in-person public interviews of twenty-nine applicants. It announced fifteen finalists in February. The fifteen finalists were once again publicly interviewed over a two-day period.
After deliberations on March 4, the JNC publicly voted to send the three nominees to Governor Pence. The JNC will submit a report to Governor Pence in the coming days. Once the report is submitted, the Governor has 60 days to appoint one of the nominees to the Court.
Additional information about the vacancy and process can be found here.
