Ind. lawmaker wants to eliminate judge age limit

KOKOMO, Ind. — A state lawmaker wants to remove an age restriction for superior court judges.

Indiana law currently prohibits a superior court judge from taking the oath of office if he or she is over age 70. There is no such restriction on circuit judges.

But Republican state Sen. Jim Buck of Kokomo plans to introduce legislation in the coming session that will eliminate the age limit, making the rules the same for all judges.

The Kokomo Tribune reports that would mean Howard County Superior Court Judge George Hopkins would be eligible to run for re-election in 2012 when he's older than 70.