William Barrett
A local attorney is a semifinalist for an upcoming vacancy on the state’s highest court.
The Indiana Judicial Nominating Commission has selected Bill Barrett and nine other finalists to advance to the next round of interviews to replace retiring Indiana Supreme Court Justice Steven David.
Barrett has been a partner at Williams Barrett and Wilkowski, a Greenwood law firm, for nine years. He’s been an attorney at the firm since October 2000.
He previously served as Magistrate of Johnson County Circuit and Superior Courts for three years, was a deputy prosecutor at the Johnson County Prosecutor’s Office for two years and clerked for two Indiana judges, according to his application.
Barrett’s legal work regularly includes civil rights matters, torts, real estate law and municipal law. He represents several area governments including Johnson County, Southport, Trafalgar, the Johnson County Plan Commission and Board of Zoning Appeals, Franklin Police Merit Commission and the Trafalgar Board of Metropolitan Police Commissioners, according to the application.
While serving as Johnson County magistrate from January 1997 to October 2000, he presided over both civil and criminal bench and jury trials. While in private practice, he presided over a felony jury trial and a number of bench trials, as Judge pro tempore in Johnson Superior Court No. 2 and other courts.
The 10 finalists are Barrett; Judge Jennifer L. DeGroote, Allen Superior Court; Justin P. Forkner, chief administrative officer, Indiana Supreme Court Office of Judicial Administration, Indianapolis; Judge Ryan K. Gardner, Marion Superior Court; Judge Dana J. Kenworthy, Grant Superior Court; Judge Gretchen S. Lund, Elkhart Superior Court; Judge Derek R. Molter, Court of Appeals of Indiana; Patrick W. Price, special counsel, Office of Management and Budget, Indianapolis; Judge Rudolph R. Pyle III, Court of Appeals of Indiana; Judge Mark E. Spitzer, Grant Circuit Court.
The finalists were announced this week after the judicial nominating commission interviewed 19 candidates over a two-day period. The applicants are seeking to fill the vacancy on the Supreme Court that will open when David retires this fall.
The semifinalists will be interviewed again in April. After the second round of interviews, the commission will select “the three most qualified candidates” whose names will be submitted to Gov. Eric Holcomb.
Holcomb, a Republican, will then select the state’s next justice.
