The Honorable Steven H. David: Indiana’s Newest Supreme Court Justice

By: Chris Simpkins

On October 18th, Steven H. David was sworn in as Indiana’s 106th Supreme Court Justice. Governor Daniels nominated Justice David to replace retiring Justice Theodore R. Boehm. During the swearing in ceremony, Justice David spoke of his desire to be a lawyer ever since he was a little boy. He also informed the audience that his desire to sit on the bench as a judge can be traced back to his first day of law school. Justice David then moved on to establish one of the more remarkable legal careers out of all the present justices. Some of his more notable positions include Boone County Circuit Court judge, U.S. Army colonel, corporate attorney for Mayflower moving company, and chief legal counsel for detainees at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

In his acceptance speech, Justice David stated, “I have no agenda. I owe no one anything. I am not an ‘R,’ I am not a ‘D,’ I am not an ‘I.’” Instead, he pledged to protect the state’s constitution from partisan politics. Justice David cited inspirational quotes from the likes of Abraham Lincoln, Oliver Wendell Holmes, and even John Mellencamp and Kenny Chesney. The newest member of the bench also received laughs from the audience when he expressed his judicial philosophy. He stated, “If you don’t know my judicial philosophy, then let me tell you – I apologize governor, it’s a little too late – I believe in humility, respect, fairness, and the rule of law.”

October 20th marked the first day of oral arguments for Justice David. The docket included one criminal case, one juvenile case, and one civil case. As Justice David begins to carve out his own niche on the current bench, his overall demeanor will likely remain the same as it was when he was the Boone County Circuit Court judge, where his humility was highly regarded by the lawyers who appeared before him. We wish Justice David the best of luck, and anxiously await the many decisions to come in the future.

Trick or Treat

By: Brandon Milster

As everyone is in the final stages of getting costumes and preparing for Halloween, I can’t help but think about how much different things were when I was a kid getting ready to go trick-or-treating in my neighborhood. I remember that my parents used to let me go out with my friends that lived close by to walk from door-to-door to collect our Halloween loot. There was no real concern that there were any dangers out in the night or that we would not return by our relatively early curfew. These days, however, I see that more and more kids are sent to local business districts, malls, or churches to trick-or-treat, due to their parents’ growing concern of danger in their neighborhoods. Even my parents have told me that each year fewer and fewer children knock at their door. What is wrong with society these days? Why can’t kids feel safe in their own neighborhoods after dark? Why do we continue to let our streets become dangerous to our children? Now I know there are still places like those I grew up in, but I also know they are becoming fewer and farther between. Just some food for thought people…
Finally, parents don’t be lured into the commercialized Halloween get-ups, which now can cost up to $100. Be creative and make your own!

Updated Child Support Calculator

By Kristen Halliden

The Indiana Supreme Court website now offers new child support calculators since the Indiana Child Support Guidelines were amended in January 2010. The old child support calculators previously available will not calculate support under the new guidelines.

Here is the website.

However, there is a problem with the calculator that has not yet been fixed. To avoid having the calculator crash do not tab or click into the case number field and just handwrite the case number on the form after you print it out.