Attached are the following proposed amendments to the Marion County Local Court Rules and ask for comment from the bar and the public. Here is a summary of the changes:
 
The Marion Superior Court plans to convert D33 from a L6/misdemeanor court to a court with the following case types: ordinance violations, infractions and evictions. All D33 criminal cases will be randomly distributed amongst the remaining L6/misdemeanor courts and the current traffic OV and IF cases along with the civil OV and EV cases will be transferred into D33. 
 
The amended rule will be effective on August 31, 2024, or the date of approval by the Indiana Supreme Court. Comments to this proposed Local Rule amendment will be received through noon on August 29, 2024. Comments to this proposed amended Local Rule should be emailed to the Office of the Court Administrator, c/o Emily VanOsdol, at Emily.VanOsdol@indy.gov or mailed to: 
 
Emily VanOsdol 
Office of the Court Administrator 
Marion County Circuit and Superior Courts 
675 Justice Way Indianapolis, IN 46203
 

IndyBar members have the opportunity to join a Conversational Spanish class with Indiana University Indianapolis.

The legal community is invited to attend the public robing ceremony of recently appointed Marion Superior Court Judge Patricia McMath on Thursday, August 22 at 3:30 p.m. in the Community Justice Center’s Jury/Public Assembly Room. There will be open seating with additional standing room available. The ceremony is expected to last less than one hour. Registration is not required. Open seating will be first come, first serve beginning at 3:00 p.m.

Judge McMath serves as a magistrate for the Marion County Superior Courts civil division since 2021. Prior to her role as a magistrate, she worked in the Office of the Attorney General where she served as the assistant chief deputy. Judge McMath serves as a member of the judiciary’s Protection Order Committee and is chair of the IndyBar’s Standing Committee on Professionalism. She received an undergraduate degree from Indiana University and a law degree from Indiana University Maurer School of Law.

Following the landmark affirmative action decision by the United States Supreme Court last June, Diversity Equity and Inclusion (“DEI”) efforts across the country have been under attack.  Supporters of the decision, feeling emboldened, have launched a barrage of efforts to expand the scope of the decision and eliminate DEI initiatives across all industries.  However, as Justice Sotomayor aptly pointed out in her dissenting opinion, “diversity is now a fundamental American value, housed in our varied and multicultural American community that only continues to grow.  The pursuit of racial diversity will go on.” In keeping with these words, the Indianapolis Bar Association has developed a new DEI-centered event titled: IndyBar Unites: A Morning of Meaningful Conversations...

Submissions of interest are now being taken for the 2025 Board of Directors of the Indianapolis Bar Association. A variety of opportunities to lead are available with varying responsibilities and time commitments among the roles. The following vacancies exist for the coming year and must be filled by an attorney member:

• 1st Vice President (Also a member of the Executive Committee. Serves one-year term and will automatically assume the office of President-elect in 2026 and President in 2027.)

The 1st Vice President is in line to assume the presidency of the association with the full-time assistance of the Executive Director.  The 1st Vice President is a member of the leadership team with direct influence over the success of the association $2+ million operating budget, 12-person staff, and services and programs provided to nearly 5,000 members. The average monthly time commitment of the 1st Vice President is 4-6 hours.

• Secretary (Also a member of the Executive Committee. Serves a two-year term, 2025 and 2026.)

The Secretary keeps the written record of board and executive committee meetings. The Association supplies a laptop for in-person meetings to allow for real-time recording of minutes to limit the time required by the Secretary outside normal association meetings. The average monthly time commitment for the Secretary is 2-3 hours.

• Delegate to the American Bar Association (Serves a two-year term, 2025 and 2026.)

The Delegate to the American Bar Association (“ABA”) represents IndyBar at all meetings of the ABA and serves as the liaison between the ABA and the IndyBar President, Board of Directors, and Executive Committee. The Association provides a stipend to offset the cost of attending the midyear and annual meetings of the ABA but does not pay the annual dues to join the ABA.

• At-Large Director (There are five positions available, each two-year terms, 2025 and 2026.)

At-Large Directors are involved and engaged in determining policies, procedures, and regulations for the Association. The monthly time commitment of an at-large director is 2-3 hours per month.
The Board of Directors, which is made up of 33 members of the association, meets bi-monthly with the Executive Committee meeting in the off months. Tasked with setting and the policies of the Association and guiding the implementation of the association’s strategic plan, the board of directors has the opportunity to provide meaningful impact on the success of our Indianapolis legal community. 

All members of the Board of Directors are expected to provide active and visible support for the association’s programs and services, and visibly support the activities of the association on a monthly basis including special events and the Bench Bar Conference. Board members are also expected to support the Indianapolis Bar Foundation with a financial contribution within their individual means. The average monthly time required of a board member is 2-3 hours. Members of the board also attend an overnight retreat each November for the purpose of training and planning.

Self-nomination for board consideration is encouraged, as are nominations of colleagues. The interest form is brief and is found online at www.indybar.org/nominate. Deadline to submit is Sunday, August 18, 2024. The Nominating Committee will select an inclusive slate of nominees which reflects the diversity of our community while recognizing current and previous leadership and service to the Indianapolis Bar Association.