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Monday, January 03, 2011

Ind. Courts - "Unless there is a change in state law, Howard Superior Court 4 Judge George Hopkins will be ineligible to run for re-election in 2012"

That is the lede to this Dec. 29th story by Ken de la Bastide in the Kokomo Tribune. More from the story:

Currently, state law prohibits a Superior Court judge from taking the oath of office if he or she is over the age of 70. There is no such restriction on Circuit Court judges. * * *

“The legislation will make it the same as for the Circuit Court,” Buck said. “There already is a problem getting people to run for judge. Taxpayers have spent a lot of money on the training and expertise of the judges.”

“No one knows how that came about,” he said.

The legislation would make the rules the same for all judges.

“I would run again if the law is changed,” Hopkins said.

ILB: IC 33-29-1-3 provides:
Sec. 3. (a) A standard superior court judge is elected at the general election every six (6) years in the county in which the court is located. The judge's term begins January 1 following the election and ends December 31 following the election of the judge's successor.
(b) To be eligible to hold office as a judge of a standard superior court, a person must be:
(1) a resident of the county in which the court is located;
(2) less than seventy (70) years of age at the time the judge takes office; and
(3) admitted to practice law in Indiana.
The law relating to Indiana circuit courts, IC 33-28-2, contains no requirements re residency, admission to practice law, or age.

However, the law relating to county court judges, IC 33-30-3-1, provides that "A person may not run for judge of a county court if the person will be at least seventy (70) years of age before the person begins the person's term of office." [More: I'm told there are no longer any county courts.]

IC 3-8-1-18 requires that a candidate for the office of judge of a county court must: (1) be a United States citizen; and (2) be admitted to the practice of law in Indiana.

Re Indiana appellate court judges, see this ILB entry from May 26, 2010.

Posted by Marcia Oddi on January 3, 2011 10:57 AM
Posted to Indiana Courts