Ind. Sup. Ct. Order Approving Local Rules: order-local-rules-2025-25S-MS-323

In the

Indiana Supreme Court

In the Matter of the Approval of Local

Rules for Dearborn County

Supreme Court Case No.

25S-MS-323

Order Approving Amended Local Rules

The Judges of the Dearborn Circuit and Superior Courts request the approval of amended

local rules for caseload allocation in accordance with Administrative Rule 1(E) and for special

judge assignments in accordance with Trial Rule 79 and Administrative Rule 21. Attached to

this Order are the proposed amended local rules.

Upon examination of the proposed rule amendments requested by the Dearborn Circuit

and Superior Courts, this Court finds that the proposed amendments to LR15-AR-5 and LR15-

AR-7 comply with the requirements of Administrative Rule 1(E) and Administrative Rule 21,

and the amendments to LR15-AR-8 comply with Trial Rule 79, and, accordingly, should be

approved.

IT IS, THEREFORE, ORDERED by this Court that amended Local Rules, LR15-AR-5,

LR15-AR-7, and LR15-AR-8, for the Dearborn Circuit and Superior Courts, set forth as

attachments to this Order, are approved effective January 1, 2026.

D

one at Indianapolis, Indiana, on ___________ .

Loretta H. Rush

Chief Justice of Indiana

11/26/2025

LR15-AR-5: COURT RULES FOR ASSIGNMENT OF CASES

The Clerk of the Dearborn Circuit and Superior Courts is directed to file the following

types of non-criminal cases in the following manner:

A. Juvenile CHINS, Juvenile Delinquent, Juvenile Status, Juvenile Paternity, Juvenile

Miscellaneous, Juvenile Termination of Parental Rights, Adoption Petitions,

Unsupervised Estates, Supervised Estates, Reciprocal Support, Guardianships, Mortgage

Foreclosures, Eviction (civil), Judicial Review of Administrative Agency Decisions, and

Trusts shall be filed in the Circuit Court.

B. Small Claims, Protective Orders, Evictions (small claims), Civil Plenary of an amount at

issue of Ten Thousand Dollars ($10,000.00) or less. Infractions and Ordinance Violations

shall be filed in the Dearborn Superior Courts. Filings shall be divided through the

following procedure: Cases filed in the months of January, March, May, July, September,

and November shall be filed in Dearborn Superior I. Cases filed in the months of

February, April, June, August, October, and December shall be filed in Dearborn Superior

II.

C. Mental Health cases shall be filed in the Court initiating the commitment process.

D. Domestic relations and Grandparent Visitation cases shall be divided two-thirds (2/3) to

Circuit Court and one-third (1/3) to Superior Court II. Cases filed in the months of

January, February, April, May, July, August, October, and November shall be filed in

Circuit Court. Cases filed in the months of March, June, September, and December shall

be filed in Dearborn Superior Court II.

E. Civil Torts shall be filed two-thirds (2/3) in Superior Court No. 1 and one-third (1/3) in

Superior Court II. Cases filed in the months of January, February, April, May, July,

August, October, and November shall be filed in Superior Court No. 1. Cases filed in the

months of March, June, September, and December shall be filed in Superior Court II.

F. Civil Plenary, Commercial Court Eligible, Red Flag (civil), and Civil Collections with the

amounts in controversy, $10,000.00 or more, shall be filed fifty percent (50%) to Circuit

Court and twenty-five percent (25%) each to Superior Court I and Superior Court II. Cases

filed in the months of January, March, May, July, September, and November shall be filed

in the Circuit Court. Cases filed in the months of April, August, and December shall be

filed in Superior Court I. Cases filed in the months of February, June, and October shall be

filed in Superior Court II.

G. The judges of the three (3) courts shall retain the authority to assign and transfer cases

between the courts whenever the workload of each court and convenience in handling

cases make such an assignment judicially desirable and with the consent of the Judges.

LR15 - AR7: ASSIGNMENT OF CRIMINAL CASES

A. Comes now the Court, sua sponte, and, pursuant to Administrative Rules 1(E)(6) and

21and Criminal Rule 2.4 of the Indiana Rules of Court, now issues the following

Administrative Order establishing the method of assigning felony and misdemeanor cases

in the Court of record of Dearborn County, Indiana, taking into consideration amendments

to Indiana Criminal Code effective 7-1-14:

1. All murder cases shall be filed in the Dearborn Circuit Court.

2. All Class D felony cases (and after July 1, 2014, level 6 felonies) and all Class A, B,

and C misdemeanor cases shall be filed in accordance with the month in which the

crime is alleged to have occurred as follows:

a) Offenses alleged to have occurred in January, March, May, July, September, and

November shall be filed in Dearborn Superior Court II.

b) Offenses to have occurred in February, April, June, August, October, and

December shall be filed in Dearborn Superior Court No. 1.

Cases which allege an episode of criminal conduct over a period of time shall be filed in

the month of the first occurrence of the crime, as stated in the charging information. Cases

that allege multiple counts of criminal conduct that are not necessarily of a continuing

episode shall be filed in the month of the earliest count alleged.

3. All vehicular homicides other than murder cases shall be filed in the Dearborn

Superior Court I & II, consistent with paragraph 2 above.

4. All miscellaneous criminal cases, including RF (criminal), may be filed in either the

Dearborn Circuit Court, the Dearborn Superior Court I, or the Dearborn Superior

Court II.

5. Class A, B and C felonies (and after July 1, 2014, level 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 felonies) shall

be randomly assigned by the Clerk as follows: 3/5 of such cases to the Dearborn Circuit

Court; 1/5 of such cases to the Dearborn Superior Court No. 1; and 1/5 of such cases

to the Dearborn Superior Court II.

Once filed as a Class A, B, or C felony (and after July 1, 2014, level 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5

felonies), subsequent amendment of charges to add Defendants or additional counts

(either of which arise from the same transaction or occurrence) shall be filed in the

Court of original filing. In addition, if such charges are dismissed and re-filed, the

charges shall be re-filed in the Court of original filing.

6. Felony cases filed after July 1, 2014, but occurring before July 1, 2014, shall remain

designated as Class A, B, C, or D felonies.

7. All traffic infractions shall be filed in the Dearborn Superior Court I.

8. This Rule does not affect the manner of assigning cases to Courts of non-record.

9. The Courts shall subsequently review this case distribution in light of criminal filings

after July 1, 2014.

B. Whenever a Motion for Change of Venue from the Judge has been granted pursuant to

Criminal Rule 2.4, the presiding Judge disqualifies himself, or it becomes necessary to assign

another Judge, the Clerk shall reassign said cases to a full-time Judge in the following

consecutive order:

1. Judge of the Dearborn/Ohio Circuit Court

2. Magistrate of the Dearborn/Ohio Circuit Court

3. Judge of the Dearborn Superior Court I

4. Judge of the Dearborn Superior Court II

5. Judge of the Switzerland Circuit Court

6. Judge of the Ripley Circuit Court

7. Judge of the Ripley Superior Court

8. Judge of the Franklin Circuit Court #1

9. Judge of the Franklin Circuit Court #2

10. Judge of the Jefferson Circuit Court

11. Judge of the Jefferson Superior Court

12. Magistrate of the Jefferson Circuit/Superior Courts

LR15-AR-8: SPECIAL JUDGES

A. Pursuant to Trial Rule 79(H), the following list of full-time judges shall be eligible for

appointment as a Special Judge in civil cases:

1. Judge of the Jefferson Circuit Court

2. Judge of the Jefferson Superior Court

3. Magistrate of the Jefferson Circuit/Superior Courts

4. Judge of the Switzerland Circuit Court

5. Judge of the Ripley Circuit Court

6. Judge of the Ripley Superior Court

7. Judge of the Dearborn-Ohio Circuit Court

8. Magistrate of the Dearborn-Ohio Circuit Court

9. Judge of Dearborn Superior Court II

10. Judge of Dearborn Superior Court I

B. Such judges shall be appointed on a rotating basis, except when such Judges are known to

this Court to be ineligible or disqualified as Special Judge under Trial Rule 79(H). All

judges named above are members of Indiana Supreme Court administrative district 12.

C. Any Judge appointed to serve as a permanent special judge under an existing standing

order of the Supreme Court shall continue to serve in that capacity until further instruction

from the Supreme Court.