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Thursday, September 24, 2009

Ind. Courts - Brinkman will serve as pro temp of the Madison Circuit Court [Updated]

Supreme Court appoints Judge Pro Temp:

The Indiana Supreme Court is appointing Senior Judge Jack L. Brinkman to serve as Judge Pro Temp of the Madison Circuit Court. Judge Brinkman retired from Madison Superior Court 2 on 12/31/08. He is a senior judge who will now serve as Madison Circuit Court Judge Pro Temp until the Governor appoints a successor or until further order of the Supreme Court.
For background, see "Ind. Courts - More on: Madison Circuit Court Judge Fredrick R. Spencer is resigning effective September 25, 2009" from earlier today.

[Updated 9/25/09] From the Anderson Herald Bulletin:

Judge Jack Brinkman’s semi-retirement lasted less than a year. The Indiana Supreme Court on Thursday unanimously appointed the senior judge to temporarily fill the bench seat being vacated by Fredrick R. Spencer, who is resigning effective today.Brinkman “will now serve as Madison County Circuit Court judge pro temp until the governor appoints a successor or until further order of the Indiana Supreme Court,” said Kathryn Dolan, spokeswoman for the state’s high court.

Brinkman, a Democrat who elected last year not to run for a sixth term as Madison Superior Court 2 judge, returns to familiar duties on the bench under extraordinary circumstances.

Spencer’s resignation is the second judgeship in the county vacated within a year. Superior Court 4 Judge David W. Hopper died in February at age 60.

“I don’t think any of us could have predicted within a year’s period of time the untimely loss of Judge Hopper and the retirement of Judge Spencer,” Brinkman said.

He vowed to create a transition as seamless as possible for the judge who will be appointed to serve until the next general election in 2010.

“The staff will be intact, and I’m sure the operation will go on smoothly,” he said. “Anytime there’s a transition, there will be some continuances and some matters that will have to be reset. Our intention is to take care of business so whoever the appointee is will not come in and inherit a backlog.” * * *

Since he opted not to seek re-election, Brinkman has continued to have a presence in the Madison County courthouse, working in a capacity that helps alleviate the caseload and allows him to fill in as a substitute judge when needed. He said he plans to return to that part-time work after a new judge is appointed.

Here is a copy of the Supreme Court's Sept. 24th Order.

Posted by Marcia Oddi on September 24, 2009 04:09 PM
Posted to Indiana Courts