For Immediate Release | September 21, 2026
Judicial officers and government and media leaders recognized at annual educational conference
Many judges, magistrates, and referees were recognized by Chief Justice Loretta Rush for their commitment to higher education and their long-time service. Thirty-two judicial officers received an Indiana Judicial College certificate, and nine were honored for years of service on the bench. The accolades were presented at an annual judicial conference.
Indiana Judicial College
Judicial officers must complete 120 hours of education presented by the Indiana Office of Court Services to receive this certificate. The program enhances legal knowledge and improves personal and professional development.
- Magistrate Benjamin Aylsworth (Warrick County)
- Judge Brian Bade (Blackford County)
- Magistrate Taylor Beaty (Allen County)
- Judge Elizabeth Bellin (Elkhart County)
- Magistrate John Bohdan II (Allen County)
- Magistrate James Burns (Steuben County)
- Judge Steven Clouse (Noble County)
- Magistrate Micah Cox (Starke County)
- Judge Kurt Eisgruber (Marion County)
- Judge Charnette Garner (Marion County)
- Magistrate Peter Haughan (Marion County)
- Judge Troy Hawkins (Carroll County)
- Judge Gina Jones (Lake County)
- Judge Christina Klineman (Marion County)
- Judge Paul Mathias (Indiana Court of Appeals)
- Judge Tara Melton (Marion County)
- Judge Scott Norrick (Madison County)
- Magistrate David Nowak (Bartholomew County)
- Judge Jaime Oss (LaPorte County)
- Judge Hans Pate (Howard County)
- Judge Bruce Petit (Boone County)
- Referee Thomas Pulley (Spencer County)
- Magistrate Amy Richison (Huntington County)
- Magistrate Roman Ricker (Gibson County)
- Magistrate Travis Sandifur (Marion County)
- Judge Stephanie Steele (St. Joseph County)
- Judge A. Douglas Stephens (Pike County)
- Judge Lisa Swaim (Cass County)
- Magistrate Regina Tidwell (Marion County)
- Judge William Walz IV (LaGrange County)
- Magistrate Shawna Webster (Knox County)
- Judge Jacob Winkler (Miami County)
View and download photographs of the Judicial College graduates
24 Years of Service
This award is presented to judicial officers with 24 years of service on the bench. Trial judges are commonly elected to a six-year term; therefore, a judge receiving this certificate has likely been elected more than four times.
- Judge John Feick (Delaware County)
- Judge Matthew Kincaid (Boone County)
- Judge Thomas Lett (Tipton County)
- Judge Dan Marshall (Hancock County)
- Judge Marc Rothenberg (Marion County)
- Magistrate Scott Stowers (Marion County)
- Judge Douglas Tate (Howard County)
- Judge Jeffrey Todd (Grant County)
- Judge Bob Witham (Henry County)
View and download photographs of the 24 Years of Service award recipients
The Indiana Office of Court Services is part of the Office of Judicial Administration. It serves as the state’s judicial research and continuing judicial education agency. It develops and sponsors educational programming for judges, probation officers, and other court personnel. The Office works to enhance the performance of the judicial system by continuously improving the professional competence of judicial officers.
IJA Awards
At the same conference, the Indiana Judges Association also presented several awards. Executive, legislative, judicial, and media awards were presented to honor leaders in their respective fields. The IJA thanked the recipients for their efforts to work in collaboration with the courts as champions of justice.
- Jon Laramore, Indiana Legal Services
- Representative Garrett Basom
- Senator Scott Baldwin
On behalf of the IJA, the Judicial Conference Community Relations Committee presented outreach awards to the following judge and journalist for their efforts at communicating the work of the courts.
- Judge Donald Mote (Jefferson County)
- Katie Clontz (The Courier-Times, Henry County)
Contact
Lindsey Borschel
Lindsey.Borschel@courts.in.gov
317-234-2603
