COA to host Tavitas robing ceremony next week

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Newest Indiana Court of Appeals Judge Elizabeth F. Tavitas will be ceremonially sworn into office next week when the court hosts a public robing ceremony.

Tavitas’ robing ceremony will be held at 2 p.m. Monday in the Indiana Supreme Court courtroom, located on the third floor of the Indiana Statehouse. The ceremony comes after Tavitas officially joined the court Aug. 6, when COA Chief Judge Nancy Vaidik administered the oath of office in a private ceremony that enabled Tavitas to begin her judicial duties immediately.

Next week’s ceremony will feature remarks from Vaidik and Gov. Eric Holcomb, who named Tavitas in July as his choice to succeed retired Judge Michael Barnes. Indiana Supreme Court Chief Justice Loretta Rush will ceremonially administer the oath of office and Tavitas’ children will assist in the ceremonial robing.

A former Lake Superior Court judge, Tavitas was selected from a pool of 12 northern Indiana candidates who applied to fill the COA vacancy left by Barnes’ retirement. The Indiana Judicial Nominating Commission interviewed the candidates in April and May, then selected three finalists for Holcomb to choose from: Tavitas, St. Joseph Superior Judge Steven Hostetler and Fort Wayne attorney David Van Gilder. 

Speaking in July, Holcomb said he selected Tavitas as the state’s next appellate judge because of her knowledge of constitutional law, her sound legal reasoning and her respect for litigants.

The robing ceremony will be webcast live and can be watched here.

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