The Senate Judiciary Committee heard HB 1036 sponsored by Senators Merritt, Bray and Ruckelshaus, on Marion County judicial selection. The bill:
- provides for the selection of Marion Superior Court (Court) judges.
- establishes the 14 member Marion County Judicial Selection Committee (Committee).
- provides that, when the Committee learns of a vacancy on the Court, the Committee follows certain procedures that conclude in the Committee sending the names of three nominees to the governor.
- requires the governor to appoint one of the nominees as judge to fill the vacancy.
- provides that, at the end of a judge’s term on the Court, the judge may have the question of the judge’s retention on the Court placed on the general election
- provides that, before a judge may stand for retention, the judge must appear before the Committee to allow the Committee to issue a recommendation to voters concerning the judge’s qualifications and suitability to continue to hold judicial office.
- requires that the judge’s retention on the Court must be approved or rejected by the electorate of Marion County.
Senator Young’s proposed amendment to change the method of selection of Committee members and the appointment authority of the Committee was adopted by consent. Testimony was presented by Judge Cale Bradford of the Court of Appeals and Judge Marc Rothenberg of Marion County Superior Court, and representatives of the Indianapolis Bar Association, Common Cause of Indiana, Indiana Chamber of Commerce, Marion County Public Defender Agency, Hoosier State Press Association, Representative Cherrish Pryor, Jesse Clemens, Reverend David W. Greene, Dr. Wayne Moore, Vaughn Davis, Indiana Democratic African-American Caucus, and Nathaniel Lee. The bill, as amended, passed by a vote of 10-0.
Read the bill at http://iga.in.gov/legislative/2017/bills/house/1036