Sec. 28. (a) The judicial nominating commission (referred to in this chapter as the commission) consists of seven (7) voting members, the majority of whom form a quorum. The chief justice of Indiana or the chief justice's designee serves ex officio as a voting member only to resolve tie votes and as the chairperson of the commission.
(b) The:
(1) governor shall appoint three (3) members to the commission:
(A) one (1) of whom must be an attorney;
(B) one (1) of whom must be a nonattorney who has never been licensed to practice law; and
(C) one (1) of whom must be a woman; and
(2) Lake County board of commissioners shall appoint three (3) members to the commission:
(A) one (1) of whom must be an attorney;
(B) one (1) of whom must be a nonattorney who has never been licensed to practice law; and
(C) one (1) of whom must be an individual from a minority group (as defined in IC 5-28-20-5).
The appointees must reside in Lake County, have no prior felony conviction, and reflect the composition of the community. If the Lake County board of commissioners fails to appoint any commission members within the time required to do so in section 29 of this chapter, the appointment shall be made by the chairperson of the commission. The chairperson of the commission shall have standing to dispute the validity of an appointed member.
(c) A member of the commission, other than a judge or justice, may not hold any other elected public office. A member may not hold an office in a political party or organization.
(d) A member of the commission is not eligible for appointment to a judicial office in Lake County if the member is a member of the commission and for three (3) years thereafter.
(e) Except for the chief justice of Indiana or the chief justice's designee, if any voting member of the commission terminates the member's residence in Lake County, the member is considered to have resigned from the commission.
[Pre-2004 Recodification Citation: 33-5-29.5-29.]
As added by P.L.98-2004, SEC.12. Amended by P.L.2-2007, SEC.368; P.L.204-2021, SEC.1.