JUDGE STEVEN DAVID TO BE SWORN-IN AS 106TH INDIANA SUPREME COURT JUSTICE

The Honorable Steven H. David of Boone Circuit Court will be sworn-in as Indiana’s 106th Justice. Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels named Judge David to succeed Justice Theodore R. Boehm who retires September 30th. Chief Justice Randall T. Shepard welcomes Judge David to the Court. “My colleagues and I are pleased to have Judge David join us. He showed exceptional talent during the application and interview process”

Judge David commented, “I am honored to be bestowed with the trust and confidence of Governor Daniels. I am looking forward to working with such a tremendous Supreme Court, led by Chief Justice Shepard. To be considered with Judge Moberly and Mr. Mulvaney was an honor in itself. I am anxious to serve the citizens of Indiana.”

Details regarding the swearing-in ceremony will be announced as soon as possible. The media guidelines governing oral arguments will be in place for the ceremony and seating will be limited; therefore, media interested in attending must contact Supreme Court Public Information Officer, Kathryn Dolan at kdolan@courts.state.in.gov so appropriate set-up can be arranged. Previous ceremonies were held in the Supreme Court Courtroom and included remarks by state officials. A photo gallery showing past swearing-in ceremonies can be found at courts.in.gov/citc/museum/swear-in.

In May, Justice Boehm announced he would step down from the bench. According to the Indiana Constitution and state statute the Judicial Nominating Commission recruits and interviews applicants to fill appellate court judicial vacancies and the Governor makes the final selection. The seven-member Commission is chaired by Chief Justice Shepard. It also includes three attorney members who are elected by other attorneys across the state and three non-attorney members who are appointed by the Governor.

The Commission received thirty-four applications for the vacancy. The applications included legal writings, educational transcripts and letters of recommendation. On July 6th and 7th the Commission interviewed all thirty-four applicants. The interviews were open to the press and public. The Judicial Nominating Commission met in executive session for deliberations. The Commission considered legal education, legal writings, public service activities and other pertinent information to find the most qualified candidates. The vote on the semi-finalists took place in a public session. On July 7th the Commission named nine semi-finalists.

On July 30th the Commission interviewed the nine semi-finalists in a session open to the press and the public. The Commission considered those nine applicants in an executive session. The Commission then held a vote on the final nominees in public. The Hon. Steven H. David, Hon. Robyn L. Moberly and Mr. Karl L. Mulvaney were selected. The names of those individuals were sent to Governor Mitch Daniels who selected Judge David as Indiana’s 106th justice.

Link to news release: http://www.in.gov/judiciary/press/2010/0917.html