The Marion Circuit and Superior Courts have announced they will be conducting a performance evaluation of all current Magistrates and Commissioners now serving those courts. The online survey will be produced by the Indianapolis Bar Association and will be available for completion beginning September 1.

“As supervisors, the judges of the Circuit and Superior Court felt it was important to seek the feedback of attorneys practicing in our courts in order to fully evaluate performance,” said Judge Bob Altice, Marion County Superior Court Presiding Judge. “Part of our responsibility as judges is to continuously work to improve the delivery of legal services and the performance of the people serving in these important positions directly impacts our ability to effectively operate our courts. The survey is important and timely.”

The survey link will be sent by email to all attorneys in the Marion County Prosecutor’s Office and the Marion County Public Defender Agency, those entering an appearance in Marion Circuit Court or any of the county’s superior courts in the past three years, and all current attorney members of the Indianapolis Bar Association. Only those for whom an email address could not be located would be omitted.

Those receiving the survey are asked to only respond in regard to those judicial officers with whom they have had direct professional contact. Forty-four judicial officers are listed.

The courts sought to also include the members of the Marion County Bar Association; however, the MCBA’s leadership did not have an updated membership list available.

The survey will remain open to participants until September 15. Once closed, only the Indianapolis Bar Association’s Executive Director will have access to the confidential results which will be delivered directly to the court’s human resources director. It is the court’s plan to deliver each magistrate and commissioner’s results to their supervising judge(s) for review.

Anyone believing they should be in the survey group and not receiving the email notice is encouraged to contact Julie Armstrong, Indianapolis Bar Association Executive Director for assistance at jarmstrong@indybar.org or call 317.269.2000.•