Information About Appellate Judges On November Ballot

Last updated on Tuesday, July 19, 2016

(INDIANAPOLIS) - Four Court of Appeals judges are up for retention on Election Day in November. Voters will decide “yes” or “no” on whether to retain each appellate judge.

A website has been designed by the Supreme Court's Office of Judicial Administration as a way for voters to make informed decisions about the judges on the ballot. The website can be found at courts.in.gov/retention.

Here are the appellate judges on the retention ballot in 2016:

Judge Terry A. Crone, Court of Appeals of Indiana - Third District
Judge James S. Kirsch, Court of Appeals of Indiana - Second District
Judge Edward W. Najam, Jr., Court of Appeals of Indiana - First District
Judge Patricia A. Riley, Court of Appeals of Indiana - Fourth District

The website includes biographical information, video of oral arguments, and the ability to search decisions written or voted on by the judges. Later this year, the Indiana State Bar Association will release evaluations of each of the judges from a survey of its members. The results will be available on the retention website.

Indiana has used a merit selection process to choose and retain its appellate judges for the past 44 years. Once appointed, a judge must stand for retention at the first statewide general election after the judge has served for two full years. If retained, the judge is on the retention ballot every 10 years. The retention system is designed to allow appellate judges to decide cases fairly and impartially, free from campaign finance considerations, and without influence by partisan politics.

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