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 theoffice 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 headedby a supreme court administrator. The division of state courtadministration 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 administrationshall be appointed by and serve at the pleasure of the chief justice.
(b) The personnel shall devote full time to their official duties andmay not engage in any other profession for profit.
(c) Personnel salaries shall be fixed by the supreme court subjectto 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 thefollowing:
(1) Examine the administrative and business methods andsystems employed in the offices of the clerks of court and otheroffices related to and serving the courts and makerecommendations for necessary improvement.
(2) Collect and compile statistical data and other information onthe judicial work of the courts in Indiana. All justices of thesupreme court, judges of the court of appeals, judges of all trialcourts, and any city or town courts, whether having general orspecial jurisdiction, court clerks, court reporters, and otherofficers and employees of the courts shall, upon notice by theexecutive director and in compliance with proceduresprescribed by the executive director, furnish the executivedirector the information as is requested concerning the natureand volume of judicial business. The information must includethe following:
(A) The volume, condition, and type of business conductedby 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 forthe operation of the courts. (E) The methods of disposition or termination of cases.
(3) Prepare and publish reports, not less than one (1) or morethan two (2) times per year, on the nature and volume ofjudicial work performed by the courts as determined by theinformation required in subdivision (2).
(4) Serve the judicial nominating commission and the judicialqualifications commission in the performance by thecommissions of their statutory and constitutional functions.
(5) Administer the civil legal aid fund as required byIC 33-24-12.
(6) Administer the judicial technology and automation projectfund established by section 12 of this chapter.
(7) Develop a standard protocol for the exchange ofinformation, by not later than December 31, 2009:
(A) between the protective order registry, established byIC 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 developedand operated by the division of state court administration;
to interface with the electronic traffic tickets, as defined byIC 9-30-3-2.5; and
(C) between county court case management systems and thecase management system developed and operated by thedivision of state court administration.
(8) Establish and administer an electronic system for receivinginformation that relates to certain individuals who may beprohibited from possessing a firearm and transmitting thisinformation to the Federal Bureau of Investigation for inclusionin the NICS.
(b) All forms to be used in gathering data must be approved by thesupreme court and shall be distributed to all judges and clerks beforethe 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 advocateservices; funding
Sec. 4. (a) The division of state court administration shallestablish and administer an office of guardian ad litem and courtappointed special advocate services. The division shall use money itreceives from the state general fund to administer the office. If fundsfor guardian ad litem and court appointed special advocate programsare appropriated by the general assembly, the division shall providematching funds to counties that implement and administer, in courtswith juvenile jurisdiction, a guardian ad litem or court appointedspecial advocate program for children who are alleged to be victims
of child abuse or neglect under IC 31-33. Matching funds must bedistributed in accordance with the provisions of section 5 of thischapter. A county may use these matching funds to supplementamounts that are collected as fees under IC 31-40-3-1 and used forthe operation of guardian ad litem and court appointed specialadvocate programs. The division may use its administrative fund toprovide training services and communication services for localofficials and local guardian ad litem and court appointed specialadvocate programs. The county fiscal body shall appropriateadequate funds for the county to be eligible for matching funds underthis section.
(b) Matching funds provided to a county under this section shallbe used for guardian ad litem and court appointed special advocateprograms and may be deposited in the county's guardian ad litem orcourt appointed special advocate fund described in IC 31-40-3.
(c) Any matching funds appropriated to the division of state courtadministration that are not used before July 1 of each fiscal year donot revert but shall be redistributed under this section on July 1. Thedivision shall redistribute the funds among counties providingguardian ad litem and court appointed special advocate programs thatare entitled to receive matching funds.
(d) Money appropriated to the division of state courtadministration does not revert at the end of a state fiscal year to thestate general fund.
(e) Only guardian ad litem or court appointed special advocateprograms certified by the supreme court are eligible for fundingunder 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 specialadvocate program; formula
Sec. 5. (a) If appropriated by the general assembly, the division ofstate court administration shall grant to each county with a guardianad litem or court appointed special advocate program an annualappropriation calculated under the following formula:
STEP ONE: Deduct the annual appropriation to the division ofstate court administration for administrative expenses.
STEP TWO: Ascertain the number of children in need ofservices cases in each county, as determined by the division ofstate 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 totalnumber of children in need of services cases in Indiana, asdetermined by the division of state court administration fromreports filed under IC 33-24-6-3, during the preceding calendaryear.
STEP FOUR: Multiply the result under STEP THREE by theremaining state match appropriation. (b) If, under subsection (a), a county's grant would result in agrant of two thousand dollars ($2,000) or less, the county is entitledto receive a grant of two thousand dollars ($2,000). After subtractingthe state match appropriation distributed to these counties from thetotal remaining state appropriation, the division of state courtadministration shall distribute the remaining state appropriationunder the following formula:
STEP ONE: Subtract the total number of children in need ofservices cases in the counties covered under subsection (a) fromthe total number of children in need of services cases inIndiana, as determined by the division of state courtadministration, during the preceding calendar year.
STEP TWO: Divide the number of children in need of servicescases 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 thetotal remaining state match appropriation.
STEP FOUR: Distribute the result under STEP THREE to eachcounty 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 performlegal and administrative duties for the justices as are determined bythe 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 shallbe:
(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 andto the general public; and
(3) titled "The Indiana Judicial Report".
Reports to the legislative council under subdivision (1)(D) must bein 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 forthe 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 orclerical 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 thesupreme court, divide the state geographically into at least eight (8)trial court districts.
(b) On the basis of relevant information compiled by the executivedirector concerning the volume and nature of judicial workload, theexecutive director shall recommend to the supreme court thetemporary transfer of any judge or judges. The supreme court shallconsider the recommendation and temporarily transfer any judge ofa trial court of general or special jurisdiction to another court if thetemporary transfer is determined to be beneficial to facilitate thejudicial work of the court to which the judge is transferred withoutplacing an undue burden on the court from which the judge istransferred. However, a judge may not be temporarily transferred toa court in another county within the district the judge normallyserves that, at its nearest point, is more than forty (40) miles from theseat of the county the judge normally serves unless the judgeconsents 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 shallbe paid travel and other necessary expenses by the county to whichthe judge is transferred. An allowance for expenses shall be certifiedby the chief justice in duplicate to the auditor of the county. Thecertificate of allowance is prima facie evidence of the correctness ofthe claims. An item of expenses certified to be correct must beallowed 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 fundis 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 judicialtechnology and automation project.
(b) The treasurer of state shall invest the money in the fund notcurrently 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 notrevert to the state general fund.
(d) There is annually appropriated to the division of state courtadministration the money in the fund for the judicial technology andautomation project.
As added by P.L.98-2004, SEC.3.