Miller Tapped to Assist Southern District Court
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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowA judge from the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Indiana has been designated to sit on the bench of the Southern District of Indiana. The court says Senior District Judge Robert Miller will work to help alleviate the state of Judicial Emergency in the southern district, which was exacerbated by the passing of Senior District Judge Larry McKinney.
The Southern District of Indiana is currently under a Judicial Emergency due to an existing judicial vacancy and a weighted filing of more than 800 cases per judgeship. The designation of Judge Miller to the southern district will be in effect through December 2018 and for any additional time needed to complete unfinished business.
Judge McKinney passed away last week, leaving behind 250 pending civil cases and 27 pending criminal cases. The court says most cases will be reassigned to McKinney’s colleagues in the district, however additional assistance is required to handle the case overload.
Judge Miller, who was appointed to the Northern District of Indiana by President Ronald Reagan in 1985, will accept a continual docket of 50 cases in the southern district.
"Our judicial colleagues from across the Seventh Circuit continue to humble us with their willingness to assist in our time of great need," said Jane Magnus-Stinson, chief judge of Southern District of Indiana. "We are deeply appreciative of Judge Miller’s willingness to sit by designation and welcome him to the Southern District’s court family. His tremendous experience, including supervision of multi-district litigation, will capably serve both our court and those appearing before it."
The designation was signed by Diane Wood, chief judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit.