INDIANAPOLIS (March 11, 2005) - Governor Mitch Daniels today named Marilyn Ann Moores as Marion Superior Court judge. She succeeds Jim Payne, who left the bench in January to become the director of the new state Department of Child Services.

Moores, a former Indianapolis City-County Council member, has nearly 25 years of public and private legal experience, including work as a prosecutor and defense attorney. As a partner at Cohen & Malad, LLP, in Indianapolis, her practice includes a broad range of civil litigation, including personal injury, family law, juvenile law, administrative and government law, and commercial litigation. She also is a lieutenant colonel and staff judge advocate in the Indiana National Guard, practicing military justice and administrative litigation as well as providing training and legal assistance to mobilized soldiers and their families.

"Marilyn will not be afraid to make tough decisions, yet she's compassionate and has an excellent temperament. She brings to the bench a wealth of legal talent, she is generous with her time as an advocate for children, and I'm proud of her military service to our country," said Governor Daniels. "I'm pleased that Marilyn is among my first judicial appointments."

Moores also served 12 years in the city of Indianapolis Office of Corporation Counsel, and she is active in a number of civic organizations, including Guardian Ad Litem, Kids' Voice and Pro Bono Project.

"My years of practice have given me the opportunity to acquire significant courtroom experience and a broad base of legal knowledge, having served as counsel to clients in civil cases, as a prosecutor and defense counsel in criminal cases, and as an advocate in numerous state and federal trials," said Moores. "I'm also bilingual in Spanish, and with the increase in the Hispanic population in Marion County, I find that I use my language skills almost every day-a practice that will be helpful to me on the bench."

She earned her undergraduate degree in Spanish and journalism from Indiana University and her law degree from the Indiana University School of Law.

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Media contact: Jane Jankowski, 317/232-1622, jjankowski@gov.in.gov