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    Dearborn County Circuit Court, Indiana

    From Ballotpedia - Reading time: 3 min
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    The Dearborn County Circuit Court serves the people of Dearborn County and the people of Ohio County. Dearborn county is also served by a superior court and a municipal court.



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    Court[edit]

    Judge[edit]

    Elections[edit]

    See also: Indiana judicial elections

    Indiana is one of 43 states that hold elections for judicial positions. To learn more about judicial selection in Indiana, click here.

    Selection method[edit]

    See also: Partisan election of judges

    The 102 judges of the Indiana Circuit Courts are elected in partisan elections to six-year terms, after which they must run for re-election if they wish to serve additional terms.[2]

    Circuit court judges in Vanderburgh County are chosen in nonpartisan elections.[2]

    Qualifications
    Though some counties have imposed additional qualifications, a judge serving on these courts must at least be:[2]

    • a circuit resident and
    • admitted to practice law in the state.

    Election rules[edit]

    Primary election[edit]

    In the primary, most candidates for the trial courts compete in partisan elections.

    Exceptions are:

    • Circuit court candidates in Vanderburgh County run in nonpartisan elections.
    • Superior court candidates in Allen and Vanderburgh counties compete in nonpartisan elections.
    • Judges in Lake and St. Joseph counties are appointed by the Governor and stand for retention two years into service and at the end of subsequent terms.[3]
    • When a superior court vacancy occurs in Marion County, candidates are reviewed by a 14-member judicial selection committee, which sends the names of three nominees to the governor. The governor must appoint one of the nominees as judge within 60 days. At the end of a judge's term on the court, the question of the judge's retention may be placed on the general election ballot. Before a judge can stand for retention, the judge must appear before the committee to allow the committee to issue a recommendation to voters regarding the judge's suitability to continue to hold office.[4]

    General election[edit]

    Superior court judges in Lake and St. Joseph Counties stand for retention. All other trial court judges compete in contested races.[3][5]

    If a vacancy occurs mid-term on the Indiana Supreme Court or Indiana Court of Appeals, the governor makes an appointment from names supplied by the judicial nominating commission. Vacancies on the circuit and superior courts are filled by direct governor appointment. Appointed judges must then run in the next general election, or the next general election after two years in office for supreme and appellate appointees.[5]

    Unopposed candidates[edit]

    If there is no contest for a judicial seat in either the primary or general election, the candidates for that seat are not placed on the primary ballot. Candidates who are unopposed in the primary, however, must still appear on the primary ballot if there is any opposition for the seat by any other party.[6]

    Marion County Superior Court party affiliation[edit]

    Judges are elected to the Marion County Superior Court under a unique state law enacted in 2006 with the goal of reducing the influence of political parties in the judicial selection process.[7] Under this system, judicial candidates seeking party nomination pay a fee to their party to cover campaign costs. Each party then nominates candidates for half of the open judicial seats in the primary. This judicial selection law ensures that Democrats and Republicans never run against each other in the general election and are represented equally on the bench.[8]


    Footnotes[edit]

    1. ↑ Indiana Courts Website, "Dearborn County Courts and Clerk," accessed April 11, 2014
    2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 American Judicature Society, "Methods of Judicial Selection: Indiana," archived October 2, 2014
    3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 American Judicature Society, "Judicial Selection in the States: Indiana," accessed August 29, 2017
    4. ↑ Indiana General Assembly, "House Bill 1036," accessed January 5, 2018
    5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 American Judicature Society, "Methods of Judicial Selection: Indiana," archived October 2, 2014
    6. ↑ Indiana General Assembly, "Indiana Code, Title 3, Article 10, Chapter 1, Section 5(a)," accessed March 21, 2014
    7. ↑ Indiana Election Division, "2014 Indiana Candidate Guide," October 15, 2013
    8. ↑ The Indy Star, "2 Democrats sue for voter records in bid for judges' seats," April 29, 2014

    See also[edit]

    Ballotpedia:Trial Courts

    External links[edit]


    Indiana courts

    Federal courts:

    Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals • U.S. District Court: Northern District of Indiana, Southern District of Indiana • U.S. Bankruptcy Court: Northern District of Indiana, Southern District of Indiana

    State courts:

    Indiana Supreme Court • Indiana Court of Appeals • Indiana Superior Courts • Indiana Circuit Courts • Indiana Small Claims Courts • St. Joseph County Probate Court, Indiana • Indiana Tax Court • Indiana Municipal Courts

    State resources:

    Courts in Indiana • Indiana judicial elections • Judicial selection in Indiana

    Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 | Original source: https://ballotpedia.org/Dearborn_County_Circuit_Court,_Indiana
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