The Indiana Judges Association is accepting nominations for the 2011 Commendation for Excellence in Public Information and Education.  Each year the Association honors a judge and a journalist who have helped inform the public about the work of the Indiana courts. The deadline for applications is Friday, July 29, 2011. 

The application forms are available online at courts.in.gov/media.  There are two award categories, one for journalists and one for judges.  The Community Relations Committee of the Indiana Judicial Conference selects the award recipients. Incoming Indiana Judges Association President, Marion County Judge Robyn Moberly, explained, “Courts deal with complex issues that are not always easy to explain.  The Association is pleased to honor a journalist and a judge for their work helping convey what is happening in courts across our state.”

Nominees are judged on breadth and depth of the effort, quality, ingenuity and public response.  The committee is looking for television, newspaper, radio and Internet journalists or news organizations that have exhibited responsible reporting of Indiana courts.  The committee is also looking for judges who have conducted programs, projects or sustained efforts to educate the public about the courts.

The Indiana Judges Association has given the awards since 1988.  The 2010 recipients were Judge Allen Wheat of Steuben Circuit Court for his educational video titled "Think Before You Drive," which showed a mock drunk driving trial from arrest to conviction; and Marianne Holland of Indiana Public Broadcasting for her reporting on the Indiana Supreme Court and the retirement of Justice Theodore Boehm.

The Indiana Judges Association was established in 1934. Its purpose is to cultivate the acquaintance of Indiana judges; to assist each other in mutual problems; to work with representatives of the state agencies for the improvement of Indiana government; to provide a source of judicial membership for committees outside the Association and to exert a coordinated effort toward better and simpler administration of justice and clearer, more uniform procedures in all courts. The IJA is funded by dues from members.

Nominate a judge.

Nominate a journalist.