Brookman selected as U.S. magistrate judge

Evansville attorney Matthew P. Brookman has been selected to be a magistrate judge in the federal court for the Southern District of Indiana, Chief Judge Richard L. Young  announced Tuesday.

Brookman, currently chief of the Drug and Violent Crime Unit for the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Southern District, will succeed Magistrate Judge William G. Hussman, who will retire on Jan. 31, 2016, after more than 27 years of service. Brookman’s appointment is subject to completion of an FBI background check.

Brookman will primarily serve the court’s Evansville Division and travel to other division offices for proceedings and settlement conferences.

In his current duties, Brookman also serves as lead organized crime and drug enforcement task force attorney. He is a member of the U.S. attorney’s executive committee and capital case coordinator for the Southern District. In 2010, Brookman received the Director’s Award from Attorney General Eric Holder for superior performance as an assistant United States attorney for his work on the United States v. Jarvis Brown, et al. quadruple homicide prosecution.

Brookman was born in St. Louis and graduated with a bachelor of arts degree in 1990 from DePauw University, where he majored in economics and history. He also studied abroad at the University of Essex in Colchester, England. He obtained his law degree from the Washington University School of Law in May 1993 and was admitted to the bar in Missouri that same year. He has since been admitted to practice in numerous state and federal courts, including Indiana.

Brookman also serves an adjunct professor at the University of Evansville and has taught at the University of Southern Indiana, the United States Department of Justice National Advocacy Center, and the Southwest Indiana Law Enforcement Academy. He and his wife, Michele, live in Newburgh, Indiana, with their three children.

Magistrate judges are appointed by the judges of the United States District courts for terms of eight years and are eligible for reappointment to successive terms. Their duties include conducting preliminary proceedings in criminal cases, presiding over trial and disposition of misdemeanor cases, conducting various pretrial matters and evidentiary proceedings on delegation from a District judge, and presiding over trial and disposition of civil cases upon consent of the litigants.