The Tax Court has one judge who must be a citizen of Indiana and have been admitted to the practice of law in Indiana for a period of five years. The initial appointment is made by the Governor, who makes the appointment from a panel of three persons nominated by the Judicial Nominating Commission.
The initial term of the Judge is until the general election following the expiration of two years from the effective date of the initial appointment. The Judge is then approved or rejected for an additional ten-year term in the same manner as are Justices of the Supreme Court. The Judge of the Tax Court is paid the same salary and receives the same benefits as a Judge of the Court of Appeals. Historical Listing of Tax Court Judges
Hon. Justin L. McAdam
Justin L. McAdam was appointed Judge of the Indiana Tax Court by Governor Eric Holcomb in July 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, Judge McAdam began his college career studying mathematics at Purdue University. He later transferred to Indiana University, where he was elected to Phi Beta Kappa and graduated with Highest Distinction while earning dual bachelor of arts degrees in economics and political science.
After college, Judge McAdam was awarded a Governor’s Fellowship by Governor Mitch Daniels. He spent the majority of his Fellowship year working on education policy with a brief stint in the general counsel’s office of the lieutenant governor. Judge McAdam then moved on to work on education finance policy as a member of the Indiana State Budget Agency.
Judge McAdam went on to earn his juris doctor from Harvard Law School. He then returned to Indiana to serve as a judicial law clerk to then Chief Justice Brent E. Dickson of the Indiana Supreme Court.
Following the clerkship, Judge McAdam joined the Bopp Law Firm, PC, where he specialized in First Amendment and campaign finance law, advising clients in transactional matters and representing clients in state and federal courts across the country.
Prior to his appointment to the Tax Court, Judge McAdam served as Deputy Director & Chief Legal Counsel of the Indiana Office of Management & Budget, helping to lead Indiana’s tax and fiscal policy system. Judge McAdam also served as the Chair of the Indiana Distressed Unit Appeal Board, the Chair of the Indiana Board for Depositories, a Trustee for the Indiana Public Retirement System, and a Trustee of the Indiana Next Level Trust Fund.
Judge McAdam is a member of the American Bar Association and the Indiana State Bar Association, where he has served on the State Legislation Committee, the Improvements in the Judicial System Committee, and the Legal Education Conclave Committee. He has also been a frequent lecturer on administrative rulemaking and various tax and fiscal policy topics.
His community activities have included serving on the board of directors for both the Avon Education Foundation and the Light & Life Free Methodist Church. Judge McAdam is an avid chess player and has founded multiple youth chess clubs throughout central Indiana.
Judge McAdam and his wife, Amy, reside in Hendricks County with their four children.