A push to bring a new court to Hamilton County took a step forward Friday, according to State Reps. Donna Schaibley (R-Carmel) and Jerry Torr (R-Carmel).
The Interim Study Committee on the Courts and Judiciary, chaired by Torr, recommended to the Indiana General Assembly to allow Hamilton County to create a new court. Schaibley said the court is needed because of the population growth in the past 10 years. Currently, Hamilton County is the fourth most-populous county in the state and projected to be Indiana’s second-largest county by 2050.
“Rapid growth has proven to be beneficial for our area in multiple ways, but it’s also put a strain on our courts as they manage increased workloads and cases,” Schaibley said. “In order to continue serving our community, our judicial system must be equipped to keep matters moving in a timely fashion.”
Torr said Hamilton County has one judicial officer for every 33,801 people in Hamilton County. That’s compared to one judicial officer for 9,897 Hoosiers in Marion County.
“The committee’s recommendation is a step forward for Hamilton County,” Torr said. “As more people choose to move their family here or locate their business in our area, we must ensure we are keeping up with growing demands on our legal system.”
Based off the interim committee’s recommendation, Schaibley expects to author legislation during the 2021 legislative session, which begins in January. If approved by the General Assembly, the judge for this court would stand for election in 2022 and take the bench on Jan. 1, 2023.