Indiana Supreme Court

City: Indianapolis

County: Marion

State: Indiana

The Indiana Supreme Court is the highest judicial tribunal in Indiana. Following the model of the U.S. Constitution, the Indiana Supreme Court sits atop the state judiciary, one of the three branches of the state government. Under provisions of the state constitution of 1816, the court consisted of three members appointed by the governor with the advice and consent of the Indiana Senate for terms of seven years. Under provisions of the state constitution of 1851, the court was expanded to a range of three to five members. Delegates to the constitutional convention authorized that the state be divided into as many districts as justices, with each justice representing and residing in a respective district though elected by statewide ballot for a term of six years. In February 1852, the Indiana General Assembly set the number of justices and districts at four.

Ind. Const. of 1816, art. V, § 1-12; Ind. Const. of 1851, art. VII, § 1-21; "An Act Districting the State for the Purpose of Electing Four Judges of the Supreme Court," 19 February 1852, The Statutes of Indiana: Containing the Revised Statutes of 1852, ed. by James Gavin and Oscar B. Hord, 2nd ed. (Indianapolis: J. J. Bingham, 1870), 1:276-77.