Mike Wolanin | The Republic Bartholomew Superior Court 1 Judge James Worton speaks at a graduation ceremony for veterans in the Bartholomew County Veterans Treatment Court in Bartholomew Superior Court 1 at the Bartholomew County Courthouse in Columbus, Ind., Thursday, June 8, 2023.
COLUMBUS, Ind. — Bartholomew Superior Court 1 Judge James Worton has announced he will seek reelection next year, seeking a third term.
Filings for next year’s primary do not begin until next January.
Worton, a former Columbus police chief, is known for developing and presiding over the local Veterans Treatment Court. The evidence-based, problem-solving court brings together local, state, and federal resources to directly serve veterans who committed nonviolent offenses due to substance use and mental health disorders.
Worton also led the development of the Volunteer Advocates for Seniors or Incapacitated Adults (VASIA) program in Bartholomew County. This is a state-funded program that trains guardians needed for indigent, incapacitated adults who otherwise may have no assistance.
Most recently, Worton has been working towards the development of a Mental Health Court, which he hopes will become operational later this summer.
For more on this story, see Thursday’s Republic.
