Indiana Courts & Legislature

The Indiana Constitution divides state government into three branches: the Legislative, the Executive, and the Judicial. The Constitution provides that the judicial power of the State is vested in a Supreme Court, a Court of Appeals, Circuit Courts and such other courts as the General Assembly may establish (Indiana Constitution Article 7§1).

The General Assembly is responsible for enacting the laws by which the state of Indiana is governed The two houses of the General Assembly (House and Senate) were created at the time Indiana became a state in 1816. The current makeup of the General Assembly, consisting of 100 Representatives serving 2-year terms and 50 Senators serving 4-year terms, was established in the Constitution of 1851. The General Assembly met in alternate years until 1972, when it began meeting annually.