Cass County, Indiana (Judicial)

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Ballotpedia provides comprehensive coverage of the 100 largest cities in America by population as well as mayoral, city council, and district attorney election coverage in state capitals outside of the 100 largest cities. This county is outside of that coverage scope and does not receive scheduled updates.


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The people of Cass County are served by a circuit court and a superior court.

The United States District Court for the Northern District of Indiana has jurisdiction in Cass County. Appeals from the Northern District go to the United States Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit.


Courts

Cass County, Indiana

Circuit Court

Cass County Circuit Court, Indiana


Superior Court

Cass County Superior Court, Indiana


Elections

See also: Indiana judicial elections

Indiana is one of 43 states that hold elections for judicial positions. To learn more about judicial selection in Indiana, click here.

Election rules

Primary election

In the primary, most candidates for the trial courts compete in partisan elections.

Exceptions are:

  • Circuit court candidates in Vanderburgh County run in nonpartisan elections.
  • Superior court candidates in Allen and Vanderburgh counties compete in nonpartisan elections.
  • Judges in Lake and St. Joseph counties are appointed by the Governor and stand for retention two years into service and at the end of subsequent terms.[2]
  • When a superior court vacancy occurs in Marion County, candidates are reviewed by a 14-member judicial selection committee, which sends the names of three nominees to the governor. The governor must appoint one of the nominees as judge within 60 days. At the end of a judge's term on the court, the question of the judge's retention may be placed on the general election ballot. Before a judge can stand for retention, the judge must appear before the committee to allow the committee to issue a recommendation to voters regarding the judge's suitability to continue to hold office.[3]

General election

Superior court judges in Lake and St. Joseph Counties stand for retention. All other trial court judges compete in contested races.[2][4]

If a vacancy occurs mid-term on the Indiana Supreme Court or Indiana Court of Appeals, the governor makes an appointment from names supplied by the judicial nominating commission. Vacancies on the circuit and superior courts are filled by direct governor appointment. Appointed judges must then run in the next general election, or the next general election after two years in office for supreme and appellate appointees.[4]

Unopposed candidates

If there is no contest for a judicial seat in either the primary or general election, the candidates for that seat are not placed on the primary ballot. Candidates who are unopposed in the primary, however, must still appear on the primary ballot if there is any opposition for the seat by any other party.[5]



See also

External links

Footnotes