Ind. Sup. Ct. Order Approving Local Rules: order-local-rules-2026-26S-MS-324

In the

Indiana Supreme Court

In the Matter of the Approval of Local

Rules for Howard County

Supreme Court Case No.

26S-MS-324

Order Approving Amended Local Rule

The Judges of the Howard Circuit and Superior Courts request the approval of an

amended local rule for caseload allocation in accordance with Administrative Rule 1(E).

Attached to this Order is the proposed amended local rule.

Upon examination of the proposed rule amendments requested by the Howard Circuit and

Superior Courts, this Court finds that the proposed amendments to LR34-AR1-2 comply with

the requirements of Administrative Rule 1(E), and, accordingly, should be approved.

IT IS, THEREFORE, ORDERED by this Court that amended Local Rule, LR34-AR1-2,

for the Howard Circuit and Superior Courts, set forth as an attachment to this Order, is

approved effective October 1, 2026.

Done at Indianapolis, Indiana, on ___________ .

Loretta H. Rush

Chief Justice of Indiana

9/18/2026

LR34-AR1-2

ASSIGNMENT OF CASE FILINGS

A. HOWARD CIRCUIT COURT: All juvenile matters, paternity cases,

adoptions, county tax sale matters, and other cases required by law to be filed in the

Howard Circuit Court shall be filed in the Howard Circuit Court.

B. HOWARD SUPERIOR COURTS II AND IV: Mental health matters

shall be filed in the Howard Superior Court II or the Howard Superior Court IV. The

court of filing shall be determined by random selection made by the Clerk.

C. HOWARD SUPERIOR COURT III: Small Claims and Petitions for

Specialized Driving Privileges pursuant to IC 9-30-16 shall be filed in the Howard Superior

Court III. The Court shall also maintain a Plenary Docket for the purpose of accepting

transfer cases. This shall include any civil case transferred from the other Howard County

Courts or cases in which the Judge of Howard Superior Court III has been selected as a

special judge pursuant to Sections (D)(H) or (K) of Trial Rule 79. All small claims which

are transferred to the Plenary Docket as a result of a jury request or because a party seeks

to pursue a claim that exceeds the jurisdictional amount allowed shall be transferred to the

Plenary Docket of Howard Superior Court III.

D. OTHER CIVIL FILINGS: All other civil cases shall be filed in Howard

Circuit Court, Howard Superior Court I, Howard Superior Court II, or Howard Superior

Court IV. The court of filing shall be determined by random selection made by the Clerk,

using a method which will result in ten percent (10%) being filed in Howard Circuit Court,

twenty-eight percent (28%) being filed in Howard Superior Court I, twenty-eight percent

(28%) being filed in Howard Superior Court II, and thirty-four percent (34%) being filed in

Howard Superior Court IV.

E. CRIMINAL CASES: All criminal cases shall be filed pursuant to LR34-

CR2.2-29.