Four Seeking Superior Court I Judgeship
January 29, 2021 at 2:27 a.m.
Four Seeking Superior Court I Judgeship
By Amanda Bridgman-
Cates died unexpectedly from a heart attack in his home Dec. 9. He had just been re-elected to the bench to begin his second six-year term.
When a sitting judge dies, the governor is tasked with filling the bench through an application process. This process typically takes about 75 days from the day position was posted on the governor’s website, which would put the timeframe for a new judge appointment to happen by mid-March.
While voters don’t have a say in the matter, there are four people who applied and are being considered to rule in the county’s courtroom that handles the highest levels of felonies including murder, rape and juvenile cases.
Kosciusko County Prosecuting Attorney Dan Hampton was among the four who applied for the seat. Hampton has been the prosecutor for 10 years. He also served as chief deputy prosecuting attorney from 1991-94 and from 2003-10.
Hampton declined to give an interview until after the selection process.
“I have submitted my application for his consideration,” Hampton said in an email. “During this process, Governor Holcomb’s office will thoroughly investigate the qualifications of each candidate.”
A familiar face when it comes to running for judgeship is local attorney Karin McGrath. She, too, applied for the vacancy in Superior Court I.
McGrath was a strong contender in the Republican primary in 2020 for judge of Superior Court III, coming in a close second to Chad Miner, who ultimately won in the fall.
McGrath opened her own law firm after the race, Karin McGrath Law LLC, after spending years practicing criminal and civil law at Rockhill Pinnick in Warsaw. She is a former Kosciusko County deputy prosecuting attorney.
McGrath said she chose to apply for the vacancy because she feels it would be a privilege to continue serving the community by bringing her knowledge, experience and discernment to the position.
“There’s some pretty serious offenses in that court, and I certainly would be ready to tackle everything that came through,” she said. “I think it’s worth noting that the very same rules of court and evidence apply no matter what the crime is, so I do feel quite capable of shifting that very same skill set no matter what the crime would be. We still play by all the same rules.”
In the primary race, McGrath ran on the premise of wanting to help people find resolutions and finality to litigation they may be facing, and also had quite a story of how she came into the legal profession. She’d also be the first woman judge in Kosciusko County courts if she’s appointed, and that’s something she doesn’t take lightly.
“I’d find it a huge honor to be appointed and doubly honored to bring some diversity to an area where we haven’t seen any,” McGrath said. “Our legal system affects everybody, whether you step foot in that courtroom or not, so I hope the public cares greatly (about who’s appointed), and I?think they do.”
Another familiar female face vying for the vacancy is Lindsey Grossnickle, who ran in the Republican primary as well in 2020. She came in third, but her desire to be a judge is something she’s always been clear about. After he loss in the election, she vowed she’d try again. That time has come with the judicial appointment for Superior Court I.
“I’ve wanted to be a judge for 20 years,” Grossnickle said. “It was very tough to even consider applying for Judge Cates’ spot, and he was a mentor of mine, my husband’s law partner for many years, and I don’t want anyone to replace him. He was a great judge, and it will be a hard job for anyone to step into that courtroom.”
However, she’s confident she can bring her experience Since 2004, Grossnickle has worked as a part-time deputy prosecutor in Whitley County. She has been responsible for the Title IV-D division of the office for 16 years, including both civil and criminal. She has been in charge of all juvenile matters in Whitley County for 14 years.
She also has been a co-coordinator for Whitley County Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative (JDAI) since August 2016 and co-coordinator for Kosciusko County JDAI since July 2018.
“I have some experience as far as the subject matter that (Superior I) hears, and I know that Judge Cates, he took everything very seriously but I think he had a real passion to help kids, and that is something that I certainly do as well,” Grossnickle said.
As someone who has practiced family law cases for 14 years and is a registered mediator, Grossnickle called that kind of experience “handy in that court and I can hit the ground running.”
The fourth person being considered for the position is W. Douglas Lemon, with Lemon, Keirn & Rovenstine LLP, in downtown Warsaw.
Lemon has been practicing law in Kosciusko County for 25 years and pastoring a church for 15, he said. He handles cases from criminal to civil to juvenile and family law and spends about half of his time doing mediation work.
“I love what I do,” Lemon said. “And I’m frankly quite happy to keep doing it because I love it. When Judge Cates tragically passed, I thought, ‘You know, I’m 50 years old, I love what I’m doing, happy to keep doing it, but I might be a good fit for that. It was a difficult decision to apply ... but I really think both my experience, especially in that court for 25 years ... I think my experience would be good and that I’ve got the kind of temperament that would be good for the bench. I’m decisive, but I’m fair, and I like to encourage people to pursue avenues of resolution as opposed to fighting it out in the courtroom.”
For now, Special Judge Karen Springer is presiding over cases in Superior Court I?until Holcomb fills Cates’ seat.
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Cates died unexpectedly from a heart attack in his home Dec. 9. He had just been re-elected to the bench to begin his second six-year term.
When a sitting judge dies, the governor is tasked with filling the bench through an application process. This process typically takes about 75 days from the day position was posted on the governor’s website, which would put the timeframe for a new judge appointment to happen by mid-March.
While voters don’t have a say in the matter, there are four people who applied and are being considered to rule in the county’s courtroom that handles the highest levels of felonies including murder, rape and juvenile cases.
Kosciusko County Prosecuting Attorney Dan Hampton was among the four who applied for the seat. Hampton has been the prosecutor for 10 years. He also served as chief deputy prosecuting attorney from 1991-94 and from 2003-10.
Hampton declined to give an interview until after the selection process.
“I have submitted my application for his consideration,” Hampton said in an email. “During this process, Governor Holcomb’s office will thoroughly investigate the qualifications of each candidate.”
A familiar face when it comes to running for judgeship is local attorney Karin McGrath. She, too, applied for the vacancy in Superior Court I.
McGrath was a strong contender in the Republican primary in 2020 for judge of Superior Court III, coming in a close second to Chad Miner, who ultimately won in the fall.
McGrath opened her own law firm after the race, Karin McGrath Law LLC, after spending years practicing criminal and civil law at Rockhill Pinnick in Warsaw. She is a former Kosciusko County deputy prosecuting attorney.
McGrath said she chose to apply for the vacancy because she feels it would be a privilege to continue serving the community by bringing her knowledge, experience and discernment to the position.
“There’s some pretty serious offenses in that court, and I certainly would be ready to tackle everything that came through,” she said. “I think it’s worth noting that the very same rules of court and evidence apply no matter what the crime is, so I do feel quite capable of shifting that very same skill set no matter what the crime would be. We still play by all the same rules.”
In the primary race, McGrath ran on the premise of wanting to help people find resolutions and finality to litigation they may be facing, and also had quite a story of how she came into the legal profession. She’d also be the first woman judge in Kosciusko County courts if she’s appointed, and that’s something she doesn’t take lightly.
“I’d find it a huge honor to be appointed and doubly honored to bring some diversity to an area where we haven’t seen any,” McGrath said. “Our legal system affects everybody, whether you step foot in that courtroom or not, so I hope the public cares greatly (about who’s appointed), and I?think they do.”
Another familiar female face vying for the vacancy is Lindsey Grossnickle, who ran in the Republican primary as well in 2020. She came in third, but her desire to be a judge is something she’s always been clear about. After he loss in the election, she vowed she’d try again. That time has come with the judicial appointment for Superior Court I.
“I’ve wanted to be a judge for 20 years,” Grossnickle said. “It was very tough to even consider applying for Judge Cates’ spot, and he was a mentor of mine, my husband’s law partner for many years, and I don’t want anyone to replace him. He was a great judge, and it will be a hard job for anyone to step into that courtroom.”
However, she’s confident she can bring her experience Since 2004, Grossnickle has worked as a part-time deputy prosecutor in Whitley County. She has been responsible for the Title IV-D division of the office for 16 years, including both civil and criminal. She has been in charge of all juvenile matters in Whitley County for 14 years.
She also has been a co-coordinator for Whitley County Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative (JDAI) since August 2016 and co-coordinator for Kosciusko County JDAI since July 2018.
“I have some experience as far as the subject matter that (Superior I) hears, and I know that Judge Cates, he took everything very seriously but I think he had a real passion to help kids, and that is something that I certainly do as well,” Grossnickle said.
As someone who has practiced family law cases for 14 years and is a registered mediator, Grossnickle called that kind of experience “handy in that court and I can hit the ground running.”
The fourth person being considered for the position is W. Douglas Lemon, with Lemon, Keirn & Rovenstine LLP, in downtown Warsaw.
Lemon has been practicing law in Kosciusko County for 25 years and pastoring a church for 15, he said. He handles cases from criminal to civil to juvenile and family law and spends about half of his time doing mediation work.
“I love what I do,” Lemon said. “And I’m frankly quite happy to keep doing it because I love it. When Judge Cates tragically passed, I thought, ‘You know, I’m 50 years old, I love what I’m doing, happy to keep doing it, but I might be a good fit for that. It was a difficult decision to apply ... but I really think both my experience, especially in that court for 25 years ... I think my experience would be good and that I’ve got the kind of temperament that would be good for the bench. I’m decisive, but I’m fair, and I like to encourage people to pursue avenues of resolution as opposed to fighting it out in the courtroom.”
For now, Special Judge Karen Springer is presiding over cases in Superior Court I?until Holcomb fills Cates’ seat.
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