For Immediate Release | March 10, 2022
Interviews for Supreme Court finalists set for April 5
The Judicial Nominating Commission named ten finalists for consideration to fill an upcoming vacancy on the Indiana Supreme Court. The following lawyers and judges will be interviewed in person on April 5.
Tuesday, April 5
8:30 a.m.-8:45 a.m. – Executive Session
8:45 a.m.-9:15 a.m. – Hon. Derek R. Molter
9:15 a.m.-9:45 a.m. – Justin P. Forkner
9:45 a.m.-10:15 a.m. – Hon. Jennifer L. DeGroote
Break
10:30a.m.-11:00 a.m. – Hon. Mark E. Spitzer
11:00 a.m.-11:30 a.m. – William W. Barrett
11:30 a.m.-12:00 p.m. – Hon. Gretchen S. Lund
Lunch and Executive Session
1:00 p.m.-1:30 p.m. – Hon. Rudolph R. Pyle, III
1:30 p.m.-2:00 p.m. – Patrick W. Price
2:00 p.m.-2:30 p.m. – Hon. Ryan K. Gardner
2:30 p.m.-3:00 p.m. – Hon. Dana J. Kenworthy
Deliberations in Executive Session, followed by public vote to select nominees
The interviews are open to the public and will be held in the Fuse East Conference Room on the second floor of the South Tower at Capital Center (201 N. Illinois St., Indianapolis, IN 46204). Media interested in attending should contact Kathryn Dolan to inquire about reserving a seat.
Members of the audience are asked to refrain from activities that might distract from the interview process. The following guidelines are in place:
- Only enter and exit between interviews
- Recording equipment must be set up during breaks
- Artificial lighting shall not be used
- Questioning of the applicants is reserved for the Commission
- Media/public may interview the applicants before/after the Commission’s interview outside the interview room at the applicant’s discretion
Following the interviews, the Commission will meet in executive session and then publicly vote to select the three most qualified candidates. The Commission considers applicants' legal education, writings, reputation in the practice of law, and other pertinent information. The named nominees will be submitted to Governor Eric Holcomb, who has 60 days from receiving the list to select Indiana's next Supreme Court justice.
The vacancy is the result of the upcoming retirement of Justice Steven David. Applications and information about the vacancy can be found online. According to the Indiana Constitution and state statute, the seven-member Judicial Nominating Commission must recruit and select candidates to fill vacancies on Indiana appellate courts. With Chief Justice Loretta H. Rush as chair, the Commission includes three lawyers elected by their peers and three citizen-members appointed by the Governor. Details on the Commission, including membership, are online.