Eggers
The Indiana Supreme Court appointed a Franklin attorney to temporarily reside over a county court.
Jeff Eggers will serve as temporary judge of Johnson County Superior Court 3 following the resignation of Lance Hamner last week.
Hamner resigned as judge Thursday, and announced his intent to run for Johnson County prosecutor on Friday, challenging incumbent Joe Villanueva. Hamner was elected to the bench in 2008 after an 18-year-stint as county prosecutor.
Eggers will oversee the court until Gov. Eric Holcomb names a replacement, or until local voters choose a new judge in the 2026 election. He took over the court on Monday, according to the Indiana Supreme Court.
Eggers began his career in 1981, before serving as judge of Johnson County Superior Court 2 from 1982 to 1987. He was then Johnson County Circuit Court judge from 1987 to 1994. After stepping down from the bench in 1994, Eggers opened his own practice, Eggers Woods in Franklin.
Eggers has also served in temporary capacities as judge of courts in Hancock and Morgan counties. He was a candidate to replace Johnson County Superior Court 2 Judge Cynthia Emkes when she retired in 2017, but was not selected. He said in 2019 that he continued to work as a senior judge for 30 days a year, primarily in Blackford and Hamilton counties, but thought returning to a Johnson County superior court would be a great way to conclude his career.
“It just got back in my blood,” Eggers said at the time, referring to being a judge again.
