VOTE411 Voter Guide

Judges are elected by judicial circuits in elections held every six years. These elections are usually partisan elections, except in Vanderburgh County, where the elections are non-partisan. Generally, before an individual can be elected as a Circuit Court judge, the person must be licensed to practice law in the state of Indiana and be a resident of the circuit. Brown County Circuit Court is the 88th Judicial Circuit.The Indiana court system consists of 91 judicial circuits. There is at least one Circuit Court in each of the state’s counties, except for Ohio and Dearborn counties. These counties are a joint circuit, and they share a combined courthouse. Indiana Circuit Courts are jury trial courts with unlimited trial jurisdiction over all criminal and civil cases heard in the state. Typically, Circuit Courts hear cases that are outside the jurisdiction of other courts. These types of cases include:Cases involving felony charges and any lesser offenses included in a felony chargeMisdemeanor and ordinance violation cases (Circuit Courts handle these types of cases in counties that do not have Superior Courts)General civil claims beyond the jurisdiction of the other trial courts in the state (In counties without Superior Courts, excluding Marion County, Circuit Courts also handle small claims cases)Civil equity casesDomestic relations casesJuvenile matters (Circuit Courts share jurisdiction with Superior Courts over some types of juvenile cases, such as termination of parental rights, juvenile delinquency, child abuse, and child neglect cases)Mental Health and probate cases (Circuit Courts share jurisdiction with Superior Courts in these types of cases)In addition to this, Indiana Circuit Courts also have appellate jurisdiction over decisions rendered by the state’s City and Town Courts.There are over 110 Circuit Court judges in the Indiana court system.