Judging judges & the voting center debate

The Indiana Legislature has approved two additional judges and two additional magistrates for Hamilton County. Two judges are retiring. Superior Court 5 Judge David Najjar is running for reelection, and it does not appear that there will be a contested race. Voters will need to judge which four other judges they wish to elect. Expect the county to expand the Judicial Center to house the 15 judges and magistrates.

Magistrate judges act as judges but are not elected. Instead, the magistrates are hired by and work with judges who are elected. Magistrates handle both civil and criminal proceedings. Hamilton County currently has five magistrate judges and 10 elected judges. Because these magistrates may be acting as a judge in your case, and are selected by the elected judges, it is important that you elect the best judge candidates. By statute, a magistrate has the same powers as an elected judge except for judicial mandate.

During my law practice, I have had the opportunity to practice before more than 100 “judges.” I put judges in quotes because decision makers may be elected judges, magistrates, commissioners, senior judges, or judges pro tem.

Judges are probably in the best position to judge the quality of lawyers, but lawyers are also in the best position to judge the quality of judges. Thus, if you know a local attorney, that attorney can give insight as to a judge’s qualifications.

You can also watch the election process. The county is considering whether to go to 52 vote centers rather than keep the current precinct system. The Election Board is taking input from the public and your views are important. Please send your views to the Election Board in care of its member and secretary, Hamilton County Clerk Kathy Williams, at Kathy.Williams@hamiltoncounty.in.gov.

At the last Election Board meeting, there was some debate on what to do to help those who go to the wrong voting location. One argument was that voting centers would help alleviate this problem. With approximately 262,000 active voters in the county, if just 1 percent of voters go to the wrong polling place, that is 2,620 people. Granted, I do not think the actual count is nearly that high, but that represents a group of voters that may not be able to get their vote cast.

Another argument for voting centers was to make it easier for those that work out of town to be able to vote. Having served my country for six years in the military, I would encourage everyone to take it as an honor to miss one-half day from work to vote. On the other hand, vote centers appear to be easier to administer and more economical.

Vote centers require a unanimous vote of the County Election Board to become a reality. We need your input to make sure voting in Hamilton County is done in the fastest, fairest, and most frugal manner. It will be difficult to balance that three-legged stool.

As president of the Election Board, I want to encourage all judicial candidates to act in a manner befitting the role. Take the last race between Judge Darren Murphy and Judge Stephenie Gookins. It was a class act by both candidates. Both have since become judges and both deserve re-election when their time for re-election comes. I would encourage you to avoid those who campaign negatively.

The coming judge vote is important. Do your research. Be informed. And vote, whether that is at your precinct or at a voting center.

Ray Adler is a longtime attorney with offices at The Adler Building, 136 S. 9th St., Downtown Noblesville. He is also one of the owners of The Hamilton County Reporter Newspaper.