INDIANAPOLIS – The Marion County Judicial Selection Committee is beginning the process of selecting two new superior court judges.
Judge James Osborn (Court 21, Criminal Division) will retire effective October 1, 2026, and Judge Gary Miller’s term (Court 20, Criminal Division) will end effective December 31, 2026, creating two vacancies on the Marion Superior Court.
Justice Derek Molter, Committee Chairperson, and Court of Appeals Judge Paul Felix, Vice Chairperson, announced applications for the vacancies are available online and must be submitted through the Indiana Courts Portal by Friday, August 7, at 12:00 p.m. (Eastern).
Eligibility requirements and other information about service on the Marion Superior Court can be found in Ind. Code § 33-33-49-6 and Ind. Code § 33-33-49-13.4. Generally, an applicant must be a resident of Marion County (at the time of the application and throughout the term of office) and be an attorney admitted to the Indiana bar for at least five years.
Pursuant to Ind. Code § 33-33-49-13.4(d), “In no event may more than fifty-two percent (52%) of the judges serving on the Marion superior court be members of the same political party.” The current vacancies on the Marion Superior Court are one Republican and one Democrat.
Following local court rules, the Marion Superior Court Executive Committee will offer any sitting judge the opportunity to transfer courts. If a judicial officer transfers to Court 20 or Court 21, the vacancy will be created in another court; more than one transfer across divisions is possible. The Executive Committee will assign the new judges to their divisions after the Governor makes the appointments.
The Marion County Judicial Selection Committee will meet in late September to interview applicants for the vacancies. Details on the public interviews will be posted online.
After the conclusion of interviews and an executive session to consider applicants, the Committee will publicly vote to select two panels of five nominees to send to Governor Mike Braun for appointment. According to Indiana law, the Committee is required to submit to the Governor five “of the most qualified candidates” for appointment when a vacancy arises. Details on the Committee, including membership, are online.
