Mike Wolanin | The Republic Bartholomew Superior Court 1 Judge James Worton gives introductions during the Bartholomew County Veterans Treatment Court graduation ceremony in Bartholomew Superior Court 1 at the Bartholomew County Courthouse in Columbus, Ind., Thursday, May 12, 2022.
Bartholomew Superior Court 1 Judge James D. Worton is being considered for one of 15 seats on the Indiana Court of Appeals.
Worton, 52, of Columbus, is scheduled to be interviewed for 30 minutes by the Indiana Judicial Nominating Commission on Monday, July 11, from 11:30 a.m. to noon. The interview will be in the Fuse East Conference Room on the second floor of the South Tower at Capital Center, 201 N. Illinois St., Indianapolis.
The nominating commission will select three finalists from nine judges and lawyers, including Worton, who applied to succeed Judge Edward W. Najam, Jr. The Bloomington judge, who was appointed to the Indiana Court of Appeals in 1992 by then-Gov. Evan Bayh, has announced he will retire next month.
Following the interviews, the names of the finalists will be sent to Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb. If all goes as planned, Holcomb will name Najam’s successor within 60 days.
Worton is applying to become one of three judges who represent District 1 of the Indiana Court of Appeals, which is essentially the southern third of the state. Najam currently serves as the district’s presiding judge.
Unlike a trial court judge, the research-based responsibility of an appellate judge is to review transcripts of trial court cases originating in their district.
“They make sure judges don’t abuse their discretion, as well as follow procedural steps and laws,” Worton said in an earlier interview.
In March 2020, it was announced that Worton was one of 13 judges and lawyers being considered to replace Indiana Appeals Court Judge John G. Baker of Bloomington. While Worton’s name emerged as one of six semi-finalists, his name was not among submitted to Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb for final consideration. On Sept. 14, 2020, Holcomb announced he had chosen Lawrenceburg attorney Leanna Weissmann as Baker’s successor.
Worton served 20 years with the Columbus Police Department, and was the city’s police chief from 2008 to 2011. He opened up a law practice specializing in family law with Jon Rohde, another former police chief who earned his law degree and was elected Bartholomew Superior Court 2 judge in 2020.
In the 2012 GOP primary election, Worton defeated incumbent judge and fellow Republican Chris Monroe by a 54% to 46% margin. Worton would go on to win against Superior Court 2 Magistrate Joe Meek in the general election 64% to 36%, and was sworn in as the new Superior Court 1 judge on Jan. 1, 2013.
One of the most prominent Bartholomew County residents to serve on the Indiana Court of Appeals was Judge John T. Sharpnack. He was appointed by former Indiana Gov. Evan Bayh in 1991, and remained on the bench until his 2008 retirement.
