First District
Peter (“Pete”) R. Foley was appointed to the Court of Appeals by Governor Eric Holcomb and began his service on October 11, 2022.
Judge Foley earned B.A. degrees in History and Criminal Justice from Indiana University, Bloomington in 1993, and his J.D. degree from the Indiana University McKinney School of Law, Indianapolis, in 1997.
After law school, Judge Foley returned to his hometown of Martinsville, Indiana, to join his father in the practice of law at Foley, Foley & Peden. Judge Foley’s grandfather, Charles H. Foley, began the law firm in 1930. Judge Foley was engaged in the private practice of law in Martinsville for over 17 years, including 14 years as the county attorney for Morgan County. Judge Foley represented both individual and small businesses in civil matters, focusing on probate and estate planning, real estate, family law, and municipal law.
In 2014, Judge Foley was elected to serve as judge of the Morgan Superior Court 1. He served as a trial court judge from 2015 until his appointment to the Court of Appeals. During that time, Judge Foley conducted over 35 jury trials, ranging from misdemeanors to murder and civil matters. He presided over a mental health diversion program and was instrumental in developing a residential substance abuse treatment program within the Morgan County Jail (known as RSAP). Judge Foley secured grant funding to provide legal assistance to indigent parties in family law cases and to provide mediation services for low-income family law parties. Judge Foley is currently serving as the Secretary for the Appellate Practice Section of the Indiana State Bar Association and will begin serving as a member of the Indiana Coalition for Court Access beginning in July 2024.
Judge Foley remains a member of the Strategic Planning Committee for the Indiana Judicial Conference and has previously served on the Board of Directors, Probate Committee, and the Advisory Task Force on Remote Access and Privacy of Electronic Court Records. Judge Foley is a graduate of the Indiana Judicial College (2021) and the Indiana Graduate Program for Judges (2017/18). He is also a frequent presenter at continuing legal education events.
Judge Foley continues to reside in Martinsville with his wife and children and remains active in his community and church. In his free time, Judge Foley enjoys traveling with his family, golf, and running, having completed 7 marathons and several half-marathons.