Kathleen “Kitty” Tighe Coriden grew up in a family that often discussed politics and social issues. However, when that sparked an interest in practicing law, one family member was less than supportive of Coriden’s dream.
“My grandfather was an attorney and thought that women had absolutely no place as attorneys, period,” she said. “He said it was a really dumb idea for me to go to law school, and I would take some man’s place. And then I would get married and have kids, and I wouldn’t work.”
However, it did not dissuade her.
Coriden went on to become the first female attorney to join the Bartholomew County Bar Association and currently serves as judge of Bartholomew Superior Court 2, one of the busiest courts in the county. And while she did become a wife, mother and grandmother, she said she’s worked “all but seven months since I graduated from law school.”
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Coriden, who has been named the Republic’s 2020 Woman of the Year, is retiring from her position as judge, with Dec. 31 set as her last day in the position.
Her successor, former Columbus Police Chief Jon Rohde, was among those who nominated Coriden for the annual award.
“As a local attorney and police officer, I have presented both civil and criminal cases in front of Judge Coriden,” Rohde wrote in his nomination letter. “At all times she exhibited patience, open-mindedness, courtesy, tact, courage, punctuality, firmness, understanding, compassion and humility.”
While Coriden has worked in the law profession for nearly 50 years, her undergraduate studies were in education. However, while she could see herself enjoying being a teacher, she found that student teaching wasn’t as pleasant as she had hoped.
“It was a god-awful experience,” she said. “And I thought, ‘I can’t do this, because I’m going to kill somebody. Then I’ll be in jail. And then I’ll need an attorney, so I might as well just be one.’”
During her time in law school, Coriden could count the number of female students there on one hand.
“There were only three females in my class,” she said. “The class started out 200, and I think 80 graduated. And one of them was a valedictorian, and another one has become an author. And then there’s me.”
After finishing law school, Coriden worked for Legal Aid of Bartholomew County from 1972 to June of 1976. From January of 1977 to 1999, she worked for the county prosecutor’s office, handling child support cases.
In a funny way, her grandfather’s prediction came true a couple of times in Coriden’s career. In 2000, Coriden did take a man’s place — when Gov. Frank O’Bannon appointed her to replace the retiring Norm Curry as judge of Bartholomew County Superior Court 2.
She served in that position for three years. After losing the 2002 election to Republican challenger Rod McGillivray, she practiced law alongside her husband, son and, eventually, her daughter-in-law at Coriden Law Office in Columbus.
In 2008, she ran for Superior Court 2 judge and beat McGillivray — not just taking the place a man held, but holding on to it ever since. Interestingly, Coriden ran as a Democrat in 2002 and 2008 but switched parties and ran as a Republican in 2014.
Coriden said that one of the most difficult parts of her career has been deciding when a person needs to be sent to jail, which is not a decision that can be ever be taken lightly.
“It’s sometimes the only alternative that you have,” she said.
When asked what part of working in law she most enjoys, Coriden replied the family law — her main area of focus at Coriden Law Office — has been both the most enjoyable and perhaps the most “exasperating” part of her career.
She said that family law can be frustrating in cases where parents “try to use the children as pawns” in a dispute, or in situations where there are two good parents who can’t come to an agreement.
“One of the things that you have to learn to do is to help people see how they can compromise and how you can do good things for your kids, even though you’re not together anymore,” Coriden said. “And being able to help people navigate their way through those waters, it’s just important. And when they do that well, it’s rewarding.”
Not all family law pertains to disputes or divorces, however.
“There’s just nothing better than doing an adoption, because you’ve got little kids that are just going to have a happy home,” she said.
In the future, Coriden said she might become a Court Appointed Special Advocate for Children, which is also the charity that she has chosen to receive $2,000 as part of the Woman of the Year award.
However, Coriden’s immediate plans after she leaves the bench are to retire, go to Pennsylvania and take care of her mother, who’s in a nursing home.
“My intention is to just kind of sit out three or four, five months and then decide what I go to next,” she said.
While Coriden is best known for her career in law, that career isn’t the only reason she’s held in high esteem in Bartholomew County.
Those who nominated Coriden for the Woman of the Year award — which included friends, family, professional colleagues and community members — noted not just her legal expertise, but also her giving spirit and willingness to help those in need.
One letter noted that, “Where Kitty shines through is in her compassion for the citizens that need help the most.”
Another writer stated in her nomination that Coriden’s compassion that made her an effective and fair judge.
“Her thoughtful decisions and work affected people in our community every day,” the nominator wrote. “She knew that, and she worked with a standard of doing the right thing. Not an easy feat in a court arena designed to address adverse sides and parties, with the adverse sides each believing they are ‘right.’ We placed our trust in her, and she delivered with heart, honesty, and accountability.”
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Age: 73
City of residence: Columbus
Previous residences: Born in Toledo, Ohio. Moved to Pennsylvania in the fourth grade.
Career overview:
- Legal Aid of Bartholomew County — 1972 to June of 1976
- IV-D Deputy Prosecutor — January of 1977 to 1999
- Appointed judge of Bartholomew Superior Court 2 by Governor Frank O’Bannon — Served from 2000 to 2002
- Coriden Law Office — 2003 to 2008
- Elected judge of Bartholomew Superior Court 2 in 2008 — Has served from January of 2009 to present
Education: Linesville High School, Linesville, Pa., 1965; B.A. from Mary Manse College, Toledo, Ohio in 1968; J.D. from University of Toledo in 1971; Indiana Judicial College, 2017.
Professional honors and associations: Indiana State Bar Association, Bartholomew County Community Corrections Board and EBDM forum.
Past honors and associations: Former co-chair of the Bartholomew County Criminal Justice Coordinating Committee and former chair of the Education Sub-committee of the Court Alcohol and Drug Program Advisory Committee of the Indiana Judicial Center.
Community involvement: Prior to being on the bench, Coriden was involved with Y-Med, American Cancer Society, United Way and Advocates for Children. Her community work has also included involvement with the Bartholomew Consolidated School Foundation and Zonta International.
Family: Married to Terry Coriden with two children and four grandchildren.
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The Republic’s annual Woman of the Year award began in 1981. Each year, the newspaper recognizes one woman from Bartholomew County for her selflessness and dedication to making the community a better place.
On a normal year, an award ceremony is held, and the Republic presents the traditional Woman of the Year medallion necklace. The winner is also awarded $2,000 to be donated to the charity organization(s) of her choice. Coriden plans to donate her $2,000 to Court Appointed Special Advocate for Children in Bartholomew County (CASA).
While a date has not yet been set for Coriden’s award ceremony, due to the pandemic, the Republic hopes to be able to hold the event in the spring. The location for the event has yet to be determined.
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