Sagamore of the Wabash, Rehnquist Award, and more

Justice Frank Sullivan Receives Sagamore of the Wabash Award
Governor Mitch Daniels presented retired Supreme Court Justice Frank Sullivan with the Sagamore of the Wabash award on July 30th.
The presentation was a surprise to Justice Sullivan and was made in the Governor’s office after the two men spoke privately.
Those in attendance for the presentation included Chief [...]

When Only the Best Will Do (Part One)

Lawsuits related to employment issues in the United States have reached a record high. Employment laws and regulations are both ever-changing and ever-increasing creating unintentional traps for the unwary employer. In the employment arena, judicial immunity does not exist. One of the best ways for a judicial employer to avoid litigation is [...]

Judicial Hiring and Administrative Appointments Revisited

Some rules of conduct are worth repeating. This is one of them. Generally, it is not a good idea for a judge to hire a family member or friend as a court employee or to appoint them to an administrative position. There are a number of practical reasons for this view, including that [...]

District Training Sessions for Court Employees

Find Out How You Can Set Up a Training Program in Your District
During the fiscal year 2009-10, the Indiana Supreme Court offered educational programs to over 1000 judicial branch personnel, including trial court staff, Supreme Court agency employees, elected Clerks and clerk staff. Four types of delivery methods were employed to provide training: state-wide [...]

Performance Appraisals… To Do or Not To Do?

Experts on employee management are divided regarding whether employers should conduct annual performance appraisals of staff.   Judging by the show of hands at the recent Judicial College seminar on office management, Indiana’s judiciary is also divided in its use of performance appraisals.  The purpose of this article is to succinctly set forth the pros [...]

In Memoriam: Debbie Guthrie-Jones

Long-Time Court Employee Fondly Remembered—
Debbie Guthrie-Jones, 58, of Indianapolis, passed away February 7, 2010. Debbie was born May 22, 1951 in New Castle, Indiana. Since 1986, she worked as a dedicated employee of the Indiana Supreme Court as an Administrative Assistant to its Division of State Court Administration. She served as Production and Distribution [...]

New Court Payroll System: The Digital Paystub

The times are changing. It used to be that employees knew they had been paid because they received a check. Next came the paper paystub that confirmed a direct electronic deposit. Now direct deposits will be confirmed online.
The Auditor of the State is no longer producing paper paystubs to confirm direct deposits. Instead, paystub information [...]

In Memoriam: Former Chief Justice Robert M. Givan

The Justices and staff of the Indiana Supreme Court were deeply saddened to hear of the passing of Justice Richard Givan.  His public service to the State of Indiana included 26 years as a jurist on the high court, including nearly 13 years as Chief Justice.  In addition to his remarkable legal career, he is [...]

Commencement Speakers, New Judge and Staff

Chief Justice Randall T. Shepard
South Bend—University of Notre Dame at this year’s Commencement exercises awarded Chief Justice Shepard with an Honorary Degree. Evansville—Chief Justice Shepard delivered the Commencement Address to the 2009 graduates of the University of Evansville and he was awarded an Honorary Degree.
Justice Robert D. Rucker
Valparaiso—Justice Rucker served as the Commencement Speaker for [...]

You Can’t Always Get What You Want, But if You Ask the Right Questions, You Get What You Need

Asking the right questions in an employment interview is similar to asking questions on voir dire.  In voir dire you want information, but you must question potential jurors in a calming and non-embarrassing way.  In a job interview you need to get information relevant to the job, but the questions have to be framed so [...]

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