CHAPTER 6. OFFICE OF JUDICIAL ADMINISTRATION
IC 33-24-6
Chapter 6. Office of Judicial Administration
IC 33-24-6-1
Creation of office; divisions
Sec. 1. (a) There is created within the office of chief justice the
office of judicial administration.
(b) The office consists of two (2) divisions, entitled:
(1) supreme court administration; and
(2) state court administration.
(c) The division of supreme court administration shall be headed
by a supreme court administrator. The division of state court
administration shall be headed by an executive director.
As added by P.L.98-2004, SEC.3.
IC 33-24-6-2
Personnel; appointment; full-time positions; salaries
Sec. 2. (a) The personnel of the office of judicial administration
shall be appointed by and serve at the pleasure of the chief justice.
(b) The personnel shall devote full time to their official duties and
may not engage in any other profession for profit.
(c) Personnel salaries shall be fixed by the supreme court subject
to approval by the budget agency.
As added by P.L.98-2004, SEC.3.
IC 33-24-6-3
Duties of division of state court administration
Sec. 3. (a) The division of state court administration shall do the
following:
(1) Examine the administrative and business methods and
systems employed in the offices of the clerks of court and other
offices related to and serving the courts and make
recommendations for necessary improvement.
(2) Collect and compile statistical data and other information on
the judicial work of the courts in Indiana. All justices of the
supreme court, judges of the court of appeals, judges of all trial
courts, and any city or town courts, whether having general or
special jurisdiction, court clerks, court reporters, and other
officers and employees of the courts shall, upon notice by the
executive director and in compliance with procedures
prescribed by the executive director, furnish the executive
director the information as is requested concerning the nature
and volume of judicial business. The information must include
the following:
(A) The volume, condition, and type of business conducted
by the courts.
(B) The methods of procedure in the courts.
(C) The work accomplished by the courts.
(D) The receipt and expenditure of public money by and for
the operation of the courts.
(E) The methods of disposition or termination of cases.
(3) Prepare and publish reports, not less than one (1) or more
than two (2) times per year, on the nature and volume of
judicial work performed by the courts as determined by the
information required in subdivision (2).
(4) Serve the judicial nominating commission and the judicial
qualifications commission in the performance by the
commissions of their statutory and constitutional functions.
(5) Administer the civil legal aid fund as required by
IC 33-24-12.
(6) Administer the judicial technology and automation project
fund established by section 12 of this chapter.
(7) Develop a standard protocol for the exchange of
information, by not later than December 31, 2009:
(A) between the protective order registry, established by
IC 5-2-9-5.5, and county court case management systems;
(B) at the option of the county prosecuting attorney, for:
(i) a prosecuting attorney's case management system;
(ii) a county court case management system; and
(iii) a county court case management system developed
and operated by the division of state court administration;
to interface with the electronic traffic tickets, as defined by
IC 9-30-3-2.5; and
(C) between county court case management systems and the
case management system developed and operated by the
division of state court administration.
(8) Establish and administer an electronic system for receiving
information that relates to certain individuals who may be
prohibited from possessing a firearm and transmitting this
information to the Federal Bureau of Investigation for inclusion
in the NICS.
(b) All forms to be used in gathering data must be approved by the
supreme court and shall be distributed to all judges and clerks before
the start of each period for which reports are required.
(c) The division may adopt rules to implement this section.
As added by P.L.98-2004, SEC.3. Amended by P.L.110-2009,
SEC.12; P.L.130-2009, SEC.19; P.L.1-2010, SEC.132.
IC 33-24-6-4
Office of guardian ad litem and court appointed special advocate
services; funding
Sec. 4. (a) The division of state court administration shall
establish and administer an office of guardian ad litem and court
appointed special advocate services. The division shall use money it
receives from the state general fund to administer the office. If funds
for guardian ad litem and court appointed special advocate programs
are appropriated by the general assembly, the division shall provide
matching funds to counties that implement and administer, in courts
with juvenile jurisdiction, a guardian ad litem or court appointed
special advocate program for children who are alleged to be victims
of child abuse or neglect under IC 31-33. Matching funds must be
distributed in accordance with the provisions of section 5 of this
chapter. A county may use these matching funds to supplement
amounts that are collected as fees under IC 31-40-3-1 and used for
the operation of guardian ad litem and court appointed special
advocate programs. The division may use its administrative fund to
provide training services and communication services for local
officials and local guardian ad litem and court appointed special
advocate programs. The county fiscal body shall appropriate
adequate funds for the county to be eligible for matching funds under
this section.
(b) Matching funds provided to a county under this section shall
be used for guardian ad litem and court appointed special advocate
programs and may be deposited in the county's guardian ad litem or
court appointed special advocate fund described in IC 31-40-3.
(c) Any matching funds appropriated to the division of state court
administration that are not used before July 1 of each fiscal year do
not revert but shall be redistributed under this section on July 1. The
division shall redistribute the funds among counties providing
guardian ad litem and court appointed special advocate programs that
are entitled to receive matching funds.
(d) Money appropriated to the division of state court
administration does not revert at the end of a state fiscal year to the
state general fund.
(e) Only guardian ad litem or court appointed special advocate
programs certified by the supreme court are eligible for funding
under this section.
As added by P.L.98-2004, SEC.3. Amended by P.L.129-2005,
SEC.11.
IC 33-24-6-5
Appropriations for guardian ad litem or court appointed special
advocate program; formula
Sec. 5. (a) If appropriated by the general assembly, the division of
state court administration shall grant to each county with a guardian
ad litem or court appointed special advocate program an annual
appropriation calculated under the following formula:
STEP ONE: Deduct the annual appropriation to the division of
state court administration for administrative expenses.
STEP TWO: Ascertain the number of children in need of
services cases in each county, as determined by the division of
state court administration from reports filed under IC 33-24-6-3,
during the preceding calendar year.
STEP THREE: Divide the result under STEP TWO by the total
number of children in need of services cases in Indiana, as
determined by the division of state court administration from
reports filed under IC 33-24-6-3, during the preceding calendar
year.
STEP FOUR: Multiply the result under STEP THREE by the
remaining state match appropriation.
(b) If, under subsection (a), a county's grant would result in a
grant of two thousand dollars ($2,000) or less, the county is entitled
to receive a grant of two thousand dollars ($2,000). After subtracting
the state match appropriation distributed to these counties from the
total remaining state appropriation, the division of state court
administration shall distribute the remaining state appropriation
under the following formula:
STEP ONE: Subtract the total number of children in need of
services cases in the counties covered under subsection (a) from
the total number of children in need of services cases in
Indiana, as determined by the division of state court
administration, during the preceding calendar year.
STEP TWO: Divide the number of children in need of services
cases in each of the counties not covered under subsection (a)
by the result under STEP ONE.
STEP THREE: Multiply the result under STEP TWO by the
total remaining state match appropriation.
STEP FOUR: Distribute the result under STEP THREE to each
county not covered under subsection (a).
As added by P.L.98-2004, SEC.3. Amended by P.L.91-2007, SEC.1.
IC 33-24-6-6
Duties of division of supreme court administration
Sec. 6. The division of supreme court administration shall perform
legal and administrative duties for the justices as are determined by
the justices.
As added by P.L.98-2004, SEC.3.
IC 33-24-6-7
Distribution and title of reports
Sec. 7. The reports required by section 3(a)(3) of this chapter shall
be:
(1) directed to:
(A) the commission on judicial qualifications;
(B) the chief justice;
(C) the clerk of the supreme court; and
(D) the legislative council;
(2) accessible to the judicial officers of the various courts and
to the general public; and
(3) titled "The Indiana Judicial Report".
Reports to the legislative council under subdivision (1)(D) must be
in an electronic format under IC 5-14-6.
As added by P.L.98-2004, SEC.3.
IC 33-24-6-8
Enforcement of chapter by rules of supreme court
Sec. 8. The supreme court shall provide by rule of the court for
the enforcement of this chapter.
As added by P.L.98-2004, SEC.3.
IC 33-24-6-9
Appointment of administrative or clerical personnel
Sec. 9. The authority of the courts to appoint administrative or
clerical personnel is not limited by this chapter.
As added by P.L.98-2004, SEC.3.
IC 33-24-6-10
Trial court districts; transfer of judges
Sec. 10. (a) The executive director shall, with the approval of the
supreme court, divide the state geographically into at least eight (8)
trial court districts.
(b) On the basis of relevant information compiled by the executive
director concerning the volume and nature of judicial workload, the
executive director shall recommend to the supreme court the
temporary transfer of any judge or judges. The supreme court shall
consider the recommendation and temporarily transfer any judge of
a trial court of general or special jurisdiction to another court if the
temporary transfer is determined to be beneficial to facilitate the
judicial work of the court to which the judge is transferred without
placing an undue burden on the court from which the judge is
transferred. However, a judge may not be temporarily transferred to
a court in another county within the district the judge normally
serves that, at its nearest point, is more than forty (40) miles from the
seat of the county the judge normally serves unless the judge
consents to the transfer.
As added by P.L.98-2004, SEC.3.
IC 33-24-6-11
Expenses for judges transferred to other counties
Sec. 11. Any judge transferred to a court in another county shall
be paid travel and other necessary expenses by the county to which
the judge is transferred. An allowance for expenses shall be certified
by the chief justice in duplicate to the auditor of the county. The
certificate of allowance is prima facie evidence of the correctness of
the claims. An item of expenses certified to be correct must be
allowed by the board of commissioners of that county.
As added by P.L.98-2004, SEC.3.
IC 33-24-6-12
Judicial technology and automation project fund
Sec. 12. (a) The judicial technology and automation project fund
is established to fund the judicial technology and automation project.
The division of state court administration shall administer the fund.
The fund consists of the following:
(1) Deposits made under IC 33-37-9-4.
(2) Other appropriations made by the general assembly.
(3) Grants and gifts designated for the fund or the judicial
technology and automation project.
(b) The treasurer of state shall invest the money in the fund not
currently needed to meet the obligations of the fund in the same
manner as other public funds may be invested.
(c) Money in the fund at the end of a state fiscal year does not
revert to the state general fund.
(d) There is annually appropriated to the division of state court
administration the money in the fund for the judicial technology and
automation project.
As added by P.L.98-2004, SEC.3.