Gov. Pence to name new Indiana justice sometime this spring
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - Gov. Mike Pence will be making his first appointment to Indiana's highest court sometime this spring from among three finalists chosen by the state's Judicial Nominating Commission.
His selection will replace Justice Brent Dickson, who'll retire April 29 before he reaches the mandatory retirement age of 75. Once Dickson's replacement is named, it will mean four of the court's five justices will have been appointed since 2010.
Twenty-nine people applied for a chance to replace Dickson, who was appointed in 1986 by Republican Gov. Robert Orr. The commission chose 15 semifinalists in February from that field, then whittled it to three.
Here's a look at the finalists, the next step in the process and reactions from some legal observers:
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IT'S THE GOVERNOR'S MOVE NOW
Pence received the names and brief summaries about the finalists - St. Joseph Superior Judge Steven L. Hostetler, Boone Superior Judge Matthew C. Kincaid and Indianapolis attorney Geoffrey G. Slaughter - from the commission on March 11. He has 60 days from that date to select one of them for the five-member court.
"The governor has no timeline for making his selection" other than doing so within the 60-day period, Pence spokesman Matt Lloyd said.
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GET TO KNOW: HOSTETLER
The 57-year-old graduated in 1983 from the Indiana University School of Law. He joined a northern Indiana law firm and over two decades handled a wide range of cases, including creditors' rights and bankruptcy, commercial, agriculture and real estate litigation.
Hostetler has been a judge in northern Indiana's St. Joseph County since June 2013, working chiefly in the court's civil division handling family law matters, foreclosures, tort litigation and other civil law proceedings.
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GET TO KNOW: KINCAID
The 45-year-old graduated from Loyola University of Chicago School of Law in 1997 and entered private practice. He worked first as an associate with a Chicago law firm before joining an Indianapolis law firm in 1998. He handled civil litigation, mainly defending parties sued for negligence, and workers' compensation law.
Kincaid has been a judge with Boone Superior Court, just northwest of Indianapolis, since 2003. He presides over a general jurisdiction docket that includes commercial and tort cases, probate matters and domestic violence protective orders. Kincaid has overseen about 100 jury trials in the past 13 years.
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GET TO KNOW: SLAUGHTER
He graduated in 1989 from the Indiana University Maurer School of Law. After a two-year stint as a law clerk for a federal judge, he joined a Chicago law firm and worked there for five years.
From 1995 to 2001, Slaughter was special counsel to Indiana's attorney general's office. He's been a partner since 2001 with an Indianapolis law firm, handing securities-fraud claims, environmental disputes, antitrust class actions and other cases.
Slaughter, 53, was a finalist for the state Supreme Court in 2012, when then-Gov. Mitch Daniels tapped Loretta Rush for the bench.
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WHO'S THE BEST?
Indiana University law professor Joel Schumm says the three finalists "have spent most or almost all of their lives" primarily handling complex civil cases involving businesses.
Schumm says many legal observers believe the court needs a new justice with such extensive experience because recent retirements have left it with justices who largely worked as judges or prosecutors.
John Trimble, a former member of the Judicial Nominating Commission, calls the three finalists "a stellar group" and says whoever Pence chooses, "the state Supreme Court is going to be well served."