Indiana
Indiana’s highest court is the Indiana Supreme Court. The court has four associate justices and one chief justice, who is selected by a judicial nominating commission. (Source: Indiana Constitution)
Judicial Selection
The governor appoints a candidate to the Indiana Supreme Court from a list provided by a judicial nominating commission. After at least two years on the court, a justice may stand in an unopposed yes/no retention vote at the time of Indiana’s next general election. Justices serve 10-year terms, and they may seek additional terms in the same retention process. The governor fills an interim vacancy by appointing a candidate chosen from a list provided by a judicial nominating commission. There are no term limits. The mandatory retirement age is 75.
State Constitution
Indiana has had two constitutions adopted in 1816 and 1851. As of January 1, 2026, it had 50 amendments. (Data on file with John Dinan, Wake Forest University.)
Filters
Religious Freedom and Abortion
Religious liberty protections have been steadily extended in both state and federal court over the last two decades. In some states, plaintiffs are arguing religious liberty includes a right to an abortion, with some success.
Religious Women Win Injunction Against Indiana’s Abortion Ban
The decision highlights the potential of religious liberty claims to fight abortion restrictions.
State Law Gives Litigators Extra Tools to Counter Originalism
Unique features of state courts allow lawyers to go beyond arguments available in federal courts.
The Untold Story of 150 Years of Women in State Judiciaries
A focus on the U.S. Constitution and federal judges has obscured a longer and more complex history of women serving on state benches — and how state constitutions mattered in their rise.
New Year Scholarship Roundup: Federal-State Conflict, State Courts, and Election Administration
Several new articles explore state power in times of federal-state and interstate conflict.
Voting Rights and Democracy in State Courts
Transcript of panel from Symposium: The Power of State Constitutional Rights
State Constitutional Amendments and State Conventions
Transcript of panel from Symposium: The Power of State Constitutional Rights
The Diversity of Rights in State Constitutions
Transcript of panel from Symposium: The Power of State Constitutional Rights