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Senate approves court reductions, eliminates magistrates in select counties
Summary
A conference committee report on House Bill 1144, which eliminates certain judicial positions and magistrates in specific counties, passed the Senate. Sponsors said cuts reflect fiscal constraints; proponents framed reductions as fiscal responsibility, opponents noted local impact.
The Senate approved a conference committee report on House Bill 1144 that reduces judicial positions and removes several magistrate slots in targeted counties as part of broader budget and court staffing adjustments.
Senator Brown presented the report and said the panel cut a judgeship in Blackford and Monroe Counties and eliminated a magistrate position in Jennings County in addition to removing funding for six magistrates that were not open but were funded in the baseline. Brown said, “account a judge's, salary is about 180,000 with benefits. You could ballpark it at close to a quarter of a million.” She framed the changes as fiscally responsible adjustments tied to court workload and county support.
Senator Sarah Alting thanked the House for removing language that would have affected Carroll County in light of the Delphi murders, saying she appreciated that change. Senator Pohleau explained his opposing vote, noting he opposed cutting courts but acknowledged the fiscal pressures and thanked staff for efforts to limit impact.
The machine vote on the conference report was 45 ayes and 4 noes. The Secretary will notify the House of the passage.
