With the passage of SEA 72, Indiana has joined the 48 other states with an appointed Clerk of Courts. According to the bill, that passed unanimously in the House and Senate, current Clerk of the Courts David C. Lewis Lewis will complete his current term of office. Lewis was appointed by Governor Kernan in November, 2003 to fill a vacancy following the resignation of Brian Bishop. The current term ends on January 1, 2007. At that time, or upon Lewis’s resignation, the next Clerk of Courts will be named by the Chief Justice of the Indiana Supreme Court.
This information is from a release just issued by Mr. Lewis. Here is a copy. The changes in the law are part of SEA 72, a 118-page bill "concerning elections." The Clerk of the Court changes are found in a number of SECTIONS of the bill, including 3, 52, 56, 79, 98, 178, 179, 181 and 183. However, the main provision is found at SECTION 198 (p. 114 of the pdf version).
For earlier Indiana Law Blog entries on the Office of Clerk of the Courts and on making the Clerk an appointed position, check the following links: Nov. 3, 2003; Nov. 10, 2003; Nov. 14, 2003; and Jan. 10, 2004. As these are on the old IBL site, use your browser back key to return.
Posted by Marcia Oddi at March 17, 2004 11:52 AM