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Friday, February 15, 2008

Ind. Courts - More on: Date for announcement of new COA judge approaching [Updated]

Updating this ILB entry from earlier this week, Gov. Daniels this morning announced his selection of Dubois Superior Court Judge Elaine Brown to succeed Judge John Sharpnack, who is retiring May 3, 2008 after nearly 17 years on the Court of Appeals.

The two other finalists were Dearborn Superior Court Judge Michael G. Witte and Evansville attorney Les Shively.

Judge Brown will become the fifth female jurist on the 15-member Court of Appeals. The 5-member Indiana Supreme Court has no women justices.

[Updated 11:45 AM] Here are details from the Governor's press release:

This is the governor’s second appointment to the Court of Appeals. He named the Honorable Cale Bradford to the court last June.

"The committee provided me with another superb group of nominees. The decisive factor, for a court that principally hears criminal cases, is that Elaine is a proven law and order judge with a long record of firmness in sentencing and sensitivity to victims’ rights," said Daniels. * * *

Brown, 54, of Jasper, has served three terms as Dubois Superior Court judge. She was elected in 2004 and began her current term January 1, 2005; Brown had served in the same capacity from 1987 to 1998, but did not seek re-election at the time to live and work in Evansville. In 2005, Brown started the Dubois County Drug court, an 18-month program of intensive treatment and supervision for drug addicts and alcoholics. She followed that program by initiating the Dubois Superior Court Alcohol and Drug Program last year, which assesses and refers for treatment many defendants convicted of crimes involving substance abuse. Brown also is the president of the Dubois County Substance Abuse Council and is on the Dubois County Community Corrections Advisory Board.

Brown was the special judge appointed by the Indiana Supreme Court in 2007 for a case that determined the roles of county councils and trial courts in the appropriation and spending of users fees collected from individuals put on probation. This decision gave clarity to all judges and county fiscal bodies.

From 1999 to 2002, she was a senior member of the law firm Fine & Hatfield, in Evansville. Brown owned her own firm from 2002 to 2004, where she handled insurance, defense, construction litigation, personal injury law, family law, criminal law, wills and estates.

Brown, a Ferdinand native, earned her undergraduate and law degrees from Indiana University.

The Governor's office has provided this photo of Judge Brown.

Posted by Marcia Oddi on February 15, 2008 10:49 AM
Posted to Indiana Courts