"The health of our entire legal system—both state and federal—depends on having a competent and independent state judiciary... How we choose our state judges, and how we decide whether to keep them in office or not, is of critical importance."
—the Honorable Sandra Day O'Connor
Retired Associate Justice, Supreme Court of the United States
Judges up for Retention
The next judicial retention election for state appellate judges will take place in November 2026.
- Hon. Mary DeBoer, Court of Appeals
- Hon. Paul Felix, Court of Appeals
- Hon. Dana Kenworthy, Court of Appeals
- Hon. Justin McAdam, Tax Court
About Judicial Retention
Learn more about Indiana's judicial retention system
Statutes regarding retention of Appellate Judges:
- Supreme Court Justices, see Indiana Code 33-24-2
- Court of Appeals Judges, see Indiana Code 33-25-2
- Tax Court Judges, see Indiana Code 33-26-2
This information is prepared by the Indiana Office of Judicial Administration (IOJA). IOJA does not endorse the results of any surveys on judicial retention or the views expressed on any website outside the Indiana Judicial Branch website.
Judge Mary A. DeBoer
Mary A. DeBoer grew up in Kalamazoo, Michigan and relocated permanently to Valparaiso, Indiana in 1990. She graduated with honors from Western Michigan University in 1989 and earned her J.D. from Valparaiso University School of Law in 1993. Judge DeBoer served as a deputy prosecutor and as a magistrate for Starke and Porter Counties. She was appointed as the Porter Circuit Court Judge in 2019 by Governor Eric J. Holcomb, who later appointed her to serve on the Court of Appeals of Indiana in 2024.
Judge DeBoer has worked in public service and private practice. As a private attorney, her focus was primarily on family law, personal injury, and medical malpractice cases. Her thirteen-year career as a deputy prosecutor reinforced her desire to protect vulnerable... [Read more]
Hon. Mary DeBoer
Hon. Paul A Felix
Paul A. Felix was appointed to the Court of Appeals by Governor Holcomb and began his service on July 28, 2023.
Judge Felix was born in Elkhart. He was raised in Greenwood and attended Whiteland schools. He earned his undergraduate and law degrees from Indiana University - Bloomington.
Following graduation, Judge Felix served as a Deputy Prosecuting Attorney in the Johnson County Prosecutor’s Office from 1995 to 2006. During his prosecuting career, he created the county’s first Domestic Violence Unit and led the prosecution of DV cases for three years.
In 2007, Judge Felix was appointed to the Carmel City Court by Governor Mitch Daniels. In 2009, he was elected to serve as the Hamilton Circuit Court Judge, where he served for 14 years. In... [Read more]
Judge Paul A. Felix
Hon. Dana J. Kenworthy
Dana J. Kenworthy, a lifelong Hoosier raised in small town Amboy, has devoted her entire career to public service. Governor Eric Holcomb appointed her to the Court of Appeals in December 2022, resulting in the first female majority in the Court’s history.
Judge Kenworthy strongly values education and is a first-generation college graduate. Several scholarships allowed her to attend the Ball State University Honors College Program; she received a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and Criminal Justice in 1998. In 2001, she graduated summa cum laude from Indiana University McKinney School of Law, while also working and commuting. She served on the Indiana International and Comparative Law Review, volunteered in the pro bono Civil Practice Clinic, and was a legal writing tutor. From 2001 to... [Read more]
Hon. Dana J. Kenworthy
Hon. Justin L. McAdam
Justin L. McAdam is the third judge to serve on the Indiana Tax Court since its creation in 1986, following Judge Thomas G. Fisher and Judge Martha Blood Wentworth. He was appointed by Governor Eric J. Holcomb and took the bench on September 1, 2023.
Judge McAdam was born in San Diego, California, and lived in Florida and Colorado before his family eventually settled in Terre Haute, Indiana, in 1992. After graduating from Terre Haute North Vigo High School, he began his college career studying mathematics at Purdue University. He later transferred to Indiana University, where he earned Bachelor of Arts degrees in economics and political science in 2005, graduating Phi Beta Kappa with highest distinction.
After college, Judge McAdam was awarded a Governor’s Fellowship... [Read more]
Hon. Justin L. McAdam
