« Ind. Courts - Steuben Courthouse to ban cells in court [Updated] | Main | Ind. Courts - Newly elected Lawrence County prosecutor Michelle Woodward »

Thursday, January 04, 2007

Ind. Courts - Hamilton County's new Superior Court 6 opens for business today [Updated]

From a story by Katie Merlie in the Topics:

NOBLESVILLE -- Cases will start being assigned to Hamilton County's new court, Superior 6, today.

Judge Gail Bardach, who won the November election for the bench and who will be sworn in today, said she's ready for cases to come across her desk.

"We could have hearings on Jan. 2 (today)," Bardach said Thursday after attending the swearing-in ceremony of Paul Felix, who succeeds her as judge of the Carmel City Court. Bardach had a year left on her term. She had been city court judge since 1993.

Court administrator Ollie Schierholz, who handles administrative tasks for judges as well as the Prosecutor's and Clerk's offices, said a wide variety of cases will be heard in Superior Court 6. They can include small claims, misdemeanors, divorces, collections and traffic tickets. "They can hear anything, even murder trials," Schierholz said. * * *

[Judge Bardach] joins Superior Court Judges Steve Nation, Daniel Pfleging, William Hughes, J. Richard Campbell and Wayne Sturtevant and Circuit Court Judge Judith Proffitt.

[Updated 7:00 PM] Here is another story, this one from the Noblesville Daily Times, reported by Jonathan Babalola:
As the county’s newest judge settles into her position, Gail Bardach said she is ready to make her mark on the county’s newest court.

Bardach was elected two months ago to preside over Hamilton County Superior Court 6 — which opened Tuesday — and the former Carmel City Court judge said it is a transition that she is prepared for.

“I worked long days in Carmel, and I will work longer hours here,” said Bardach, as she sat in her spacious office in the Hamilton County Government & Judicial Center. “But it’s all part of the job. … I understand that, and I look forward to the challenge.”

She said she has two-thirds of her staff completed — with the rest to be hired in the next week or so – and with cases being assigned and a full session of night court slated Jan. 10, the judge said things are moving quickly. “We’re making all the adjustments, creating the new court and keeping busy,” Bardach said.

Bardach said her court will work in tandem with Superior Courts 4 and 5 and take some of the county’s caseload. Superior Court 6 will take over a third of Class D felonies (the lowest class of felonies), a third of criminal misdemeanor cases, a third of the traffic cases, a third of the small claims cases, all of the protective orders and various civil cases, according to the judge.

“I’ve had the benefit of experience with almost 14 years (as a city judge) with some of the same kind of cases,” Bardach said. “I’ve done criminal misdemeanors and traffic infractions, so some of the cases I’ve had before, and some will be new, so it’s all part of the broader experience as a county judge.”

Bardach also pointed out in her new position she will be one of a collection of seven – as opposed to her tenure as Carmel judge where she flew solo. She added the other judges have treated her well in the short time she has been in the position.

“(As a city judge) I didn’t have other people who I could consult with on a regular basis,” Bardach said. “Here, I’m one of seven and the other six judges have been extremely helpful and extremely generous with advice, so that’s important and it’s a big benefit to have.”

The other judges are confident she will fit right in. “We help each other regardless of whether the judge is new or not,” said Judge William Hughes, who presides over Superior Court 3. “But we’ve had several conversations with Judge Bardach, and we think she’ll do just fine. We look forward to working with her.”

Posted by Marcia Oddi on January 4, 2007 01:05 PM
Posted to Indiana Courts