« Law - "Mediation Courts May Ease Foreclosure Backlog" | Main | Ind. Gov't. - More on: West Lafayette occupancy code on council agenda »

Tuesday, April 07, 2009

Ind. Courts - Filling Indiana's federal court vacancies

Jon Murray has two good stories this morning about federal court openings, in the Indianapolis Star.

The first, a lengthy report, is headed "Black judges may reach federal bench this year Obama and Democrats could open door to state's U.S. district courts that has been shut nearly 2 centuries." The story begins:

Black judges have served on Indiana's trial and appeals courts. But for nearly 200 years, appointments to the state's federal bench have proved elusive.

It's been a near-exclusive club for white men, with just two women and one Hispanic among 38 judges who have won highly coveted lifetime appointments to Indiana's U.S. district courts.
Advertisement

But attorneys and legal observers see a milestone coming. President Barack Obama could expand the courts' diversity this year, with as many as three judicial slots opening up in Indiana. Two are at the federal court in Indianapolis.

With the nation's first black president in office and Democrats eyeing an opportunity to make a historic first, legal experts say this is the time that a high-profile African-American jurist such as Tanya Walton Pratt or David Shaheed could be appointed to the federal bench. * * *

Indiana's two federal court districts -- one at the north end of the state, the other covering the southern two-thirds and based in Indianapolis -- typically handle civil and criminal cases rooted in federal law and the Constitution, particularly in areas dealing with civil rights.
Advertisement

In Indianapolis, federal judges have set caps on jail capacity, overseen racial benchmarks in police and fire promotions, and ordered that black students be bused to the suburbs to desegregate the schools.

Advocates for diversity say such crucial decisions should be handled by courts that reflect their communities.

Each district has a female judge -- Theresa Lazar Springmann in the north, Sarah Evans Barker in Indianapolis. Rudy Lozano, a senior judge in the northern district, is the only Hispanic appointed to a federal judge post in Indiana, according to the judicial center. * * *

The southern district's five sitting judges came from varied backgrounds. One was a U.S. attorney, another was a federal magistrate and two were circuit judges, in Johnson and Vanderburgh counties. Hamilton, picked by President Bill Clinton in 1994, had served as a former counsel to Bayh in the governor's office.

One name mentioned often: Jane Magnus-Stinson, whose background covers several bases: former chief counsel to Gov. Bayh, Marion Superior Court judge and, for the past two years, a federal magistrate judge working under the appointed judges.

Joel Schumm, a professor at the Indiana University School of Law-Indianapolis, said Magnus-Stinson has built a solid reputation and would be a strong choice. [Henry Karlson, a retired Indiana University law school professor], a conservative, agreed.

The federal bench comes with a steep learning curve, Schumm said, giving magistrates and trial lawyers with a heavy federal workload an advantage. State and county judges bring important judicial experience, he said. Candidates without those experiences may be less competitive.

The second story sets out "candidates in the southern district being discussed by Indianapolis' legal community." There is also disucssion of the U.S. attorney's office:
President Barack Obama also will appoint a U.S. attorney to lead the federal prosecutor's office in Indianapolis.

Linda Pence, a Democrat who ran an aggressive but unsuccessful campaign last year for Indiana attorney general, tops many lists. She declined to comment.

Posted by Marcia Oddi on April 7, 2009 06:31 AM
Posted to Indiana Courts