By Marilyn Odendahl
The Indiana Citizen
January 15, 2026
While giving her 12th State of the Judiciary speech, Indiana Chief Justice Loretta Rush, on Wednesday, highlighted the teamwork among trial court judges, prosecutors and public defenders to improve outcomes, so fewer offenders stay entangled with the justice system and taxpayers save money.
Rush, as part of her speech titled “Justice in the Heartland,” pointed to successful collaborations within the courts in Cass and Dearborn counties where judges, prosecutors and public defenders are working together to reduce recidivism. She also noted the legislature-created initiatives that have enabled the courts to tabulate data from the county jails, use technology to investigate cybercrime, and better utilize judicial resources through the local Justice Reinvestment Advisory Council statute.
In particular, Rush called special attention to county prosecutors and public defenders.
“While these public servants sit on opposite sides of the courtroom as rivals, they are also allies in their shared duty to resolve disputes under the rule of law,” Rush said of prosecutors and public defenders. “Their work is at the center of the constitutional balance between accountability and liberty.”
For the State of the Judiciary, state representatives and senators crowded onto the House floor. They applauded as Rush entered the lower chamber and several stretched out their hands to personally greet the chief justice as she walked down the aisle to the speaker’s rostrum. While Rush spoke, the lawmakers were attentive and interrupted her many times with applause.
Gov. Mike Braun and Lt. Gov. Micah Beckwith also attended the speech, along with other state officials including Attorney General Todd Rokita and Comptroller Elise Nieshalla. The balcony was tightly packed with trial court judges, wearing their black robes, public defenders and prosecutors.
Rush reminded lawmakers of the “deepening crisis” of the growing attorney shortage in Indiana. The state, she said, ranks 43rd out of 50 states in the number of lawyers per capita with the offices of prosecutors and public defenders being especially hard hit.
The Indiana Supreme Court created the Commission on Indiana’s Legal Future to study the shortage issue and recommend ways to bolster the state’s legal bar. Rush thanked the Indiana General Assembly for helping to address the problem by passing House Enrolled Act 1049 in 2025, which created the public-service attorney scholarship program. Then, she gently reminded the lawmakers, they still needed to fund the scholarship.
Within the legal community, Rush said, lawyers have been doing what they can to ensure individuals and families who need legal representation have it. About 8,000 Indiana lawyers performed nearly 250,000 hours of legal work for people across Indiana at no charge, she said.
“Attorneys throughout the state have been lending a helping hand to make sure those courthouse doors remain open to all,” Rush said. “The importance of community and access to justice is embedded in the oath we all took as Hoosier attorneys.”
Rush credited the work of the General Assembly with creating the “statewide structures” that underpin the innovations and work of the Indiana judicial system.
With state funding, Indiana prosecutors have formed 10 high-tech crime units around the state that are helping investigate cybercrime and assisting in prosecutions and exonerations, Rush said. Also, the local Justice Reinvestment Advisory Council statute that was passed just a few years ago, she said, has enabled “justice stakeholders” to make sure public-safety resources are used wisely.
Also, Rush highlighted the INjail program, a statewide initiative that provides real-time jail information on all defendants in Indiana to improve the administration of justice and ensure public safety. This is a program made in Indiana, she said, that is the first of its kind in the country.
“Local justice teams working together to make the communities safer, healthier, and more resilient are doing so with your support,” Rush told the state legislators. “We cannot thank you enough for your staunch support of our Hoosier justice system.”
Spotlighting collaboration efforts to improve public safety, Rush pointed to Cass County. There, Cass County Superior Court Judge Lisa Swaim, county prosecutor Noah Schafer and public defender Sheryl Pherson have established a “transformational, evidence-based pretrial program” that, as Schafer explained, employs “accountability, personal responsibility and mercy.”
According to stats from Cass County, the program resulted in an 86% reduction in pretrial detention and a court appearance rate of 95%.
“It’s nearly $6 million in savings for Cass County, because they’ve reduced jail bed costs, eliminated 408 years of incarceration, prompted treatment, and prioritized public safety,” Rush told the legislators.
Also, Rush recognized prosecutors and public defenders who have been taking some extra steps to help children.
In particular, she pointed to Madison County Prosecutor Rodney Cummings, who along with chief deputy prosecutor Andrew Hanna and investigator Mitch Carroll, are tackling truancy. High school dropouts are eight times more likely to be incarcerated, Rush said, so Cummings and his team created a program that connects families with counseling and intervention support.
Rush told lawmakers about Vigo County Public Defender Katie Butwin and parent advocate Janet McBride, who are part of a pilot program from the Indiana Commission on Court Appointed Attorneys to help parents navigate the child-welfare system. Butwin and McBride attended the State of the Judiciary address with one of their clients, Savannah, who, Rush said, credited the program with saving her life.
Vigo County has slashed the time it needs to close a child-welfare case by an average of 65 days, children are spending 70 fewer days in foster care and family reunification has increased by 14%, Rush said.
“The numbers reflect a broader truth: When we equip parents with public defenders and the tools they need, families find their footing, children return home sooner, and justice fulfills its highest purpose,” Rush said.
Rush called attention to the recently completed project of the Indiana State Bar Association to collect portraits of all 92 county courthouses in Indiana. She said the courthouses that often sit in the town square represent the rule of law, which allows Hoosiers to resolve their disputes with reason and civility.
“So, next time you pass by that breathtaking courthouse in your own county, consider a moment of solemn thanks for the people who have accepted that calling,” Rush said at the conclusion of her speech. “Think of the public servants in that building – judges, prosecutors, and defenders – who work every day to safeguard liberties, uphold justice, and ensure that every Hoosier lives in a community grounded in fairness, dignity, and peace.”
Dwight Adams, an editor and writer based in Indianapolis, edited this article. He is a former content editor, copy editor and digital producer at The Indianapolis Star and IndyStar.com, and worked as a planner for other newspapers, including the Louisville Courier Journal.
The Indiana Citizen is a nonpartisan, nonprofit platform dedicated to increasing the number of informed and engaged Hoosier citizens. We are operated by the Indiana Citizen Education Foundation, Inc., a 501(c)(3) public charity. For questions about the story, contact Marilyn Odendahl at marilyn.odendahl@indianacitizen.org.
