Judge Patrick Sullivan retires from Indiana Court of Appeals

Judge Patrick Sullivan will conclude a 38-year tenure on the Indiana Court of Appeals in a retirement ceremony in the Supreme Court courtroom at 3:00 p.m. on Friday, July 20, 2007. Chief Judge John G. Baker will preside. Judge Sullivan’s family, colleagues, former law clerks, and special guests will attend the ceremony, followed by a reception. (Seating is by invitation, but the media is welcome to cover the event.)

Judge Sullivan is the longest-serving judge in Court of Appeals history. He reaches the constitutionally-mandated retirement age of 75 in August, and his last day on the Court of Appeals will be Tuesday, July 31st. He will continue to serve the court and the citizens of Indiana as a senior judge beginning August 1st.

Judge Sullivan was elected to the Indiana Court of Appeals in 1968 and retained on the Court by election in 1972, 1982, 1992 and 2002. He is the only current member of the Court of Appeals to be popularly elected to the court prior to the advent of the retention selection system.

"Before joining the Court of Appeals, Judge Sullivan served as a Deputy Attorney General from 1958 to 1961. From 1961 to 1965, he engaged in the private practice of law with Minton, Mosiman, Sullivan & Johnson in Indianapolis. He was a Senior Commissioner with the Marion County Probate Court from 1963 to 1964 and a judge on the Marion County Civil Trial Court from 1965 to 1969.

A native of Huntington, Indiana, Judge Sullivan served in the United States Navy for two years during the Korean War. He received his bachelor’s degree in 1956 and his law degree, cum laude, in 1958, both from Washington and Lee University in Lexington, Virginia.

The Indiana Court of Appeals is the state’s second-highest court. It reviews appeals from trial court decisions; a decision of the Indiana Court of Appeals is final unless granted further review by the Indiana Supreme Court. The majority of appeals filed in Indiana are decided by the Court of Appeals."

Governor Mitch Daniels selected Judge Cale Bradford of the Marion Superior Court to take Judge Sullivan’s seat on the court, from the Indiana Court Website.