Indiana judicial elections, 2016

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Four seats on Indiana's state-level courts were up for retention elections on November 8, 2016. All four seats on the ballot were held by judges on the Indiana Court of Appeals. All four judges filed to stand for retention.[1] If retained, an appeals court judge serves for 10 years prior to the next retention election.

All four judges were retained.

Judges who faced retention

Court of Appeals

First District

Edward Najam Green check mark transparent.png

Second District

James Kirsch Green check mark transparent.png

Third District

Terry Crone Green check mark transparent.png

Fourth District

Patricia A. Riley Green check mark transparent.png

Election results

Edward Najam was retained in the Indiana Court of Appeals, First District election with 70.21% of the vote.

Indiana Court of Appeals, First District, 2016
Name Yes votes
Green check mark transparent.pngEdward Najam70.21%
Source: Indiana Secretary of State Official Results

James Kirsch was retained in the Indiana Court of Appeals, Second District election with 74.56% of the vote.

Indiana Court of Appeals, Second District, 2016
Name Yes votes
Green check mark transparent.pngJames Kirsch74.56%
Source: Indiana Secretary of State Official Results

Terry Crone was retained in the Indiana Court of Appeals, Third District election with 72.00% of the vote.

Indiana Court of Appeals, Third District, 2016
Name Yes votes
Green check mark transparent.pngTerry Crone72.00%
Source: Indiana Secretary of State Official Results

Patricia A. Riley was retained in the Indiana Court of Appeals, Fourth District election with 75.31% of the vote.

Indiana Court of Appeals, Fourth District, 2016
Name Yes votes
Green check mark transparent.pngPatricia A. Riley75.31%
Source: Indiana Secretary of State Official Results


Selection

See also: Judicial selection in Indiana

When a vacancy occurs on the Indiana Court of Appeals, the Commission on Judicial Qualifications provides the names of three nominees to the governor, who must then select a judge from that list.[2][3]

Newly appointed judges serve for at least two years, after which they must run in a yes-no retention election held during the next general election. If retained, judges serve 10-year terms.[2] Judges in the First, Second and Third Districts stand for retention only in their districts. The judges representing the Fourth and Fifth Districts stand for statewide retention elections.[2]

The chief judge of the Indiana Court of Appeals is selected by a peer vote, and he or she then serves for a term of three years.[2]

Qualifications

To serve on the Indiana Court of Appeals, a judge must be:

  • a U.S. citizen;
  • a state resident;
  • admitted to practice law in the state for at least 10 years or have served as a trial court judge for at least five years; and
  • under the age of 80 (retirement at 80 is mandatory).[2][4]

The Indiana Senate raised the mandatory retirement age from 75 to 80 in January 2015, but judges who were retained under the old retirement law are still bound by it to a retirement age of 75.[4] Judges wishing to serve after reaching the retirement age may apply for senior judge status through the Indiana government website.[5]

State profile

Demographic data for Indiana
 IndianaU.S.
Total population:6,612,768316,515,021
Land area (sq mi):35,8263,531,905
Race and ethnicity**
White:84.2%73.6%
Black/African American:9.2%12.6%
Asian:1.9%5.1%
Native American:0.2%0.8%
Pacific Islander:0%0.2%
Two or more:2.2%3%
Hispanic/Latino:6.4%17.1%
Education
High school graduation rate:87.8%86.7%
College graduation rate:24.1%29.8%
Income
Median household income:$49,255$53,889
Persons below poverty level:18.4%11.3%
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2010-2015)
Click here for more information on the 2020 census and here for more on its impact on the redistricting process in Indiana.
**Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here.

Presidential voting pattern

See also: Presidential voting trends in Indiana

Indiana voted Republican in six out of the seven presidential elections between 2000 and 2024.

Pivot Counties (2016)

Ballotpedia identified 206 counties that voted for Donald Trump (R) in 2016 after voting for Barack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012. Collectively, Trump won these Pivot Counties by more than 580,000 votes. Of these 206 counties, five are located in Indiana, accounting for 2.43 percent of the total pivot counties.[6]

Pivot Counties (2020)

In 2020, Ballotpedia re-examined the 206 Pivot Counties to view their voting patterns following that year's presidential election. Ballotpedia defined those won by Trump won as Retained Pivot Counties and those won by Joe Biden (D) as Boomerang Pivot Counties. Nationwide, there were 181 Retained Pivot Counties and 25 Boomerang Pivot Counties. Indiana had five Retained Pivot Counties, 2.76 percent of all Retained Pivot Counties.

More Indiana coverage on Ballotpedia

Recent news

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See also

Indiana Judicial Selection More Courts
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Courts in Indiana
Indiana Court of Appeals
Indiana Supreme Court
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External links

Footnotes