The Evansville Bar Association recognized Hon. Richard Young by presenting the James Bethel Gresham Award to him on Friday, April 24, 2015, at the annual Law Day dinner hosted by the organization.Judge Young began his legal career in 1980 at the firm of Hayes and Young. During that period he served as Corporation Counsel for the City of Evansville and as a Public Defender in the Vanderburgh Circuit Court. He was a member of the House of Delegates of the Indiana State Bar Association, and served on the Board of Directors of the Evansville Bar Association, serving as its president from 1994-1995.
Judge Young was appointed District Court Judge for the Southern District of Indiana in March 1998, and has served as Chief Judge since November 2009. Prior to his appointment, he served as Judge of the Vanderburgh Circuit Court for eight years.
He is currently serving as the elected Seventh Circuit District Court Judge Representative to the Judicial Conference of the United States, and also served on its Committee on the Administration of the Magistrate Judges System. He is a member of the Board of Visitors at the Indiana University Maurer School of Law.
Judge Young is a regular speaker and panelist at federal and state law seminars and trial advocacy programs.
The James Bethel Gresham Freedom Award was established by the Evansville Bar Association to recognize and honor individuals who have distinguished themselves in activities or careers which have elevated respect for the law, promoted freedom, or otherwise furthered the ideals for which Law Day is recognized and celebrated. The purpose of Law Day is to remind people throughout the country of the importance of the law and the role that it plays in our lives and in the basic freedoms which we all cherish and enjoy. This award is named in honor of James Bethel Gresham who lived in Evansville from 1901 to 1914 and is believed to have been the first American soldier to have given his life in combat during World War I.
