Court partners with IU to create pilot rural justice clerkship program By David Sexton, Intern | Office of Communication, Education & Outreach The Indiana Supreme Court and Indiana University’s law schools partnered in a pilot program to allow their students to work with courts in less urban communities. Ten law students-five each from IU Maurer and IU […]
Education / Training
2018 Winter Workshop: Judicial Wellness
By Ashley A. Moise | Education Staff Attorney, Indiana Office of Court Services There’s no question that wellness is important, but there’s an increasing societal realization that wellness is relevant in the workplace. We are at our best when every facet of our lives is in alignment. Wellness is especially important for judges. Grant Circuit […]
Awards & Honors Presented at Educational Conference
In September 2018, the 84th Annual Meeting of the Indiana Judges Association (IJA) was held at the JW Marriott in downtown Indianapolis. The event was a part of the Annual Meeting of the Judicial Conference of Indiana. The IJA was established in 1934 and works to cultivate connections and mutual assistance between judges. The IJA […]
Update on Evidence-Based Pretrial Practices
By Mary Kay Hudson | Deputy Director, Indiana Office of Court Services Part Two In 2016, eleven counties committed to participate in local criminal justice reform initiatives through Indiana’s Evidence-Based Decision Making (EBDM) Initiative in collaboration with the Indiana EBDM policy team (state team). Since then, all eleven counties, under the leadership of their local […]
Statewide Opioid Summit
By Kathryn Dolan, Indiana Supreme Court Chief Public Information Officer and Haley Loquercio, Intern, Office of Communication, Education, and Outreach Indiana Leaders Work Toward Recovery The Statewide Opioid Summit began with nearly 1,000 audience members hearing a devastating 911 call that brought the training into quick focus. One Summit attendee sadly explained, “It’s easy to […]
Going the Distance
The Indiana Courts Education Network will reach audiences statewide By Scarlett T. Brooks | Instructional Design Specialist, Indiana Office of Court Services In the fall of 2016, Indiana Office of Court Services (IOCS) team members from Education, Justice Services, and Programs and Projects, along with representatives from Appellate Court Technology, held a series of meetings […]
Moving Forward with Evidence Based Pretrial Practices
By Mary Kay Hudson, Deputy Director, Indiana Office of Court Services Part One Introduction Since the Supreme Court adopted Criminal Rule (CR) 26 in September 2016, the Pretrial Committee, the Indiana Evidence Based Decision Making (EBDM) Policy Team, and the Indiana Office of Court Services (IOCS) have diligently worked with 11 counties to implement CR […]
The Spring Judicial College: Who came up with this program?
By Vicki L. Davis | Deputy Director, Indiana Office of Court Services I have a story. Flashback to 1998 when the Indiana Judicial Center is selected to send a five-member team to participate in the Leadership Institute in Judicial Education at the University of Memphis. This program includes a one-week Leadership Institute, an action plan, […]
New IOCS Executive Director
Mary Willis, Chief Administrative Officer of the Indiana Supreme Court’s Office of Judicial Administration, announced that Indiana Office of Court Services (IOCS) Deputy Director Justin Forkner has been promoted to Executive Director. The position was previously held by Jane Seigel, who announced her well-deserved spring retirement after many years of dedicated and faithful service. Forkner, […]
2017 Winter Workshop
By Julie C.S. McDonald, Indiana Office of Court Services Understanding Race: Beyond Black & White More than 200 judicial officers attended the day-long 2017 Winter Workshop called Understanding Race: Beyond Black & White. Speakers included nationally-known TED Talks presenter and former prosecutor Adam Foss, Indiana University professor of American Studies Rasul Mowatt, Indiana judges, and […]
Indiana Supreme Court forms Office of Admissions and Continuing Education
By order entered on January 26, 2017, the Supreme Court merged the two agencies that provide administrative support for the Indiana Board of Law Examiners (BLE) and the Indiana Commission on Continuing Legal Education (CLE) into a new Office of Admissions and Continuing Education (OACE). The order provides that the OACE will operate under the […]
When Classroom Meets Courtroom: Oral arguments on the road
Teachers commonly use field trips to foster learning outside of the classroom. It provides an engaging way for their students to learn. For a Government or American History class, students might take a trip to the local courthouse or city/county building to gain insight into Indiana government. Those trips, while valuable, can be costly for […]
Civics Workshop for Teachers
Surveys, talk show hosts and the nightly news remind us that American students are woefully uninformed about even the most basic functions of our government. While no one group or organization can solve this problem on its own, the Indiana Supreme Court—through its “Courts in the Classroom” (CITC) outreach project—is doing its part by hosting […]
Judicial Clerkships for Recently Admitted Attorneys
At the fall 2013 Indiana Judicial Conference, Court of Appeals Judges Margret Robb and Patricia Riley informed trial court judges that together with Indiana’s law schools they had created a Judicial Law Clerk Program to assist new law school graduates and trial court judges. The law schools will identify recent law school graduates who are […]
Celebrating Constitution Day
In September, forty-eight judges and one Supreme Court staff attorney visited schools across the state in celebration of Constitution Day. September 17, 2013 marked the 226th anniversary of the 1787 signing of the U.S. Constitution in Philadelphia. For decades September 17th was noted on calendars as “Citizenship Day,” but rarely received much attention. That all […]