Subscriber Benefit
As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe Now
The Allen County Judicial Nomination Commission will interview four applicants this month to fill an approaching vacancy in the Allen Superior Court’s Family Division.
The seven-member commission will hear from the candidates in the Allen County Courthouse on July 23, and from there, they will nominate their top three candidates to Governor Mike Braun for final appointment., according to an Indiana Supreme Court news release.
The commission will look for specific requirements in its assessment of the candidates, based on Indiana law.
They will evaluate a candidate’s academic record, their public service, legal experience, physical condition and personality traits, and they will determine whether a candidate has any potential conflicts of interest.
The applicants are:
- Magistrate Brent Ecenbarger
- Magistrate Carolyn Foley
- Magistrate Sherry Hartzler
- Magistrate Michael Douglass
What do we know about the applicants?
Ecenbarger was appointed as magistrate in the Allen Circuit Court in 2023, where he oversees the IV-D division, handling child support services.
A 2010 graduate from Valparaiso University School of Law, Ecenbarger previously served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney for the U.S. Attorney’s Office from 2020 to 2023.
Foley was appointed magistrate of the Allen Superior Court Family Relations Division twice, first in 2013 and then in 2018. She is a former member of several associations and councils, including the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges, the Indiana Child Support Alliance and the Allen County Youth Services Board.
Hartzler was appointed magistrate of the Allen Superior Court Family Relations Division in 2015, where she was instrumental in the establishment of the Family Recovery Court—a tool for families, parents and guardians struggling with substance abuse.
Among her several memberships, she is a member of the Board of Directors of Healthier Moms and Babies, an organization dedicated to supporting pregnant women by breaking down barriers to prenatal care.
Douglass has served as a magistrate in the Allen Superior Courts Small Claims Division since 2019, where he hears a variety of civil cases, including landlord-tenant issues, protective order requests and contract disputes.
He previously served as magistrate in the Family Relations Division from 2016-2018.
Candidate interviews will begin at 11 a.m. in courtroom 107 and will be open to the public.
The commission’s private deliberations will take place following the public interviews, and once they are done, the commission will vote on the nominees in a public session.
Please enable JavaScript to view this content.