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I am assigned to the Civil Division in Marion Superior Court and preside in Room Number 11.
How long have you been a Marion Superior Court judge? Judicial officer?
This is my 30th year as a Judge on the Superior Court bench in Marion County.
Other projects, committees, or service roles you are involved in off the bench?
When I first became a judge, there were a few organizations that I had been actively involved in that I ended my association with because of their activities that might have presented conflicts with my role as a judge. When the judicial selection process in Marion County changed a few years ago, I had to end my membership in a few other organizations for similar reasons. As a judge, I have served on the Court’s Executive Committee and as the Court’s Presiding Judge from 2011-2013. In that role, I was the host of a public affairs television program (Off the Bench) which featured guests who spoke about and highlighted issues of public concern related to the work of the Court. I also served for several years as a member of the Board of Trustees of the Leukemia Society of America and as a volunteer for Indiana Reading Information Services (IRIS) and the Volunteer Corps. I have also been active in the establishment and funding of a full-time professorship at the Indiana University School of Medicine for the study, prevention and treatment of breast cancer.
Best tip you have for lawyers appearing in your court or criminal law courts in general?
Talk less…listen more; you will learn more that way. If you can make your argument with fewer words, you should. Others are less impressed by your eloquence than you are.
Your mentor(s) and the greatest insight you gained from them?
I cannot identify one person as a mentor. I have learned from a number of individuals and from a number of lawyers that I have practiced with and against over the years, as well as judges that I have practiced in front of and have served with over the years. I continue to learn more each day from the colleagues that I have now on the Marion County bench. We have an outstanding group of judges.
What do you enjoy doing in your free time?
My work on the Court does not leave me a lot of free time but in the free time that I have I like to read and travel, especially if it allows me time to visit with my daughter.
If you weren’t a judge, what would you be doing?
I guess I’m about to find out since I am retiring at the end of the year. I plan to read and travel more, and also do some writing. Unfortunately, most of us don’t have a chance to choose the job we want to do because we have to work at a job just to make a living. I have been fortunate in that regard, but, if I could choose another job, I think I would like to be a bench coach in baseball. It’s kind of like being a judge. You sit and watch all of the action from a great vantage point and you only express your opinion if asked by the manager.
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