The Indiana Supreme Court has named the Honorable G. Michael Witte to serve as temporary judge of Wayne Superior Court 1, Chief Justice Randall T. Shepard announced today.  Witte replaces Judge P. Thomas Snow, who was recently named Chairman of the Alcohol & Tobacco Commission.  

The Governor named Judge Snow as chairman, leaving a judicial vacancy in the Wayne Superior Court.  According to Indiana Supreme Court trial rules, the vacancy is filled by the Court until the Governor names a successor or, or until further order of the Court.  Chief Justice Shepard was appreciative that Judge Witte agreed to serve and said, “Judge Witte has been an integral part of the administration of justice in our state for more than twenty years.  He is honest, fair, and thoughtful in his decision making process.”

Witte is currently a senior judge.  He was elected to the bench in Dearborn County in 1985.  He was the first Asian-American to serve as judge in the state of Indiana.  Judge Witte is pleased to accept the Court’s appointment and said, “I congratulate Judge Snow and wish him the best as Chairman of the Alcohol and Tobacco Commission.  I am honored to serve as Judge in Wayne County and look forward to working with my fellow judges and the staff members of Superior Court 1.”

Judge Witte is vice-chair of the American Bar Association Judicial Division and a nationally recognized speaker in the field of diversity.  He was a recent panelist for the American Bar Association program “Achieving a Diverse Judiciary and Its Impact on Public Confidence in the Judicial System.”  In February, he also spoke at Harvard Law School for the American Bar Association program “Obtaining and Retaining a Diverse Judiciary.”  He served on the Indiana Commission on Courts from 2005-2007 and was named the 2008 Distinguished Asian Alumni by the Indiana University Asian Alumni Association.