By Justin Schneider
The Herald Bulletin
PENDLETON, Ind. —
Pendleton attorney Bryce Owens has been scheduled to appear for an interview on Tuesday as he attempts to join the Indiana Supreme Court.
On Thursday, The Judicial Nomination Committee announced that Owens was among 34 applicants pursuing a vacancy on the state’s highest court. He said his experience sets him apart.
“I think that I bring a different perspective in my background to the possibility of serving the court,” Owens said Friday. “Many of the candidates have careers in the judicial system and in academia, but they don’t have a lot of people coming up from the practitioner standpoint. What I have to offer is practical experience, as opposed to theoretical experience.”
Nearly half of the applicants (16 of 34) are sitting judges. Owens, by contrast, has 25 years in private practice. His only other professional experience after graduating law school at the Indiana University was a year working under a bankruptcy judge in South Bend.
Owens grew up in Madison County and attended Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn. for his undergraduate studies. His ambitions for a judgeship date back at least 10 years. In 2000, Owens was the Republican nominee for Madison Circuit Court judge and ran for judge of Pendleton Town Court in 2003.
On Friday, the nomination committee announced that Owens’ first interview will be Tuesday, July 6 at 4:20 p.m. He said Chief Justice Randall Shepard has blocked out 25 minutes for each of the 34 candidates July 6 and 7.
The process should be somewhat familiar to Owens who has applied for previous judgeships with the Indiana Court of Appeals and the supreme court.
“I think it’s helpful to have been through it before,” he said. “The committee does a thorough job of reviewing the material in advance and they ask good, focused questions. It’s not a time for chit-chat.”
Unlike in the U.S. Supreme Court, Indiana Supreme Court nominees face no confirmation hearings before a legislative body. Once the field has been narrowed to three finalists on July 30, Gov. Mitch Daniels will make his selection. And unlike on the federal court, Indiana justices do not receive a lifetime appointment, they are subject to a retention vote by statewide ballot.
When asked about his judicial philosophy, Owens said the legal system should avoid meddling in citizens’ private lives.
“An integral part of it is interfering with people the least possible amount,” Owens said. “I think the court should solve their problems. If they have a contractual agreement, the court should enforce that agreement. My philosophy is basically to interfere and provide guidance as needed.”
Owens seeks to fill a vacancy created by the anticipated retirement Justice Theodore Boehm in September. Boehm, a Harvard-educated attorney who clerked for Justice Earl Warren on the U.S. Supreme Court, served two stints with Baker & Daniels, and also worked for Genereal Electric and Eli Lily before being appointed by Evan Bayh in 1986. But Owens said the governor provides better insight into the kind of justice who might be selected.
“My observation of Gov. Daniels is that he’s a first-class person and his business background has greatly benefitted the state,” Owens said. “When it comes down to the final decision, I think he’ll pick someone who is well-qualified and will bring something extra.”
Contact Justin Schneider: 640-4809, justin.schneider @heraldbulletin.com
