Press Release: Judge Tavitas elected Chief Judge of Court of Appeals

For Immediate Release | December 30, 2025

Court of Appeals elects Elizabeth F. Tavitas as Chief Judge

INDIANAPOLIS – The judges of the Court of Appeals of Indiana elected Judge Elizabeth F. Tavitas to serve a three-year term as Chief Judge starting on January 1, 2026. She succeeds her colleague, Judge Robert R. Altice, Jr., who served with distinction as Chief Judge of the Court of Appeals from January 1, 2023 to December 31, 2025.

Judge Tavitas was appointed to the Court of Appeals by Governor Eric Holcomb and began her service on August 6, 2018. She is a graduate of the University of Notre Dame (B.A., cum laude) and Notre Dame Law School (J.D.) Judge Tavitas is a judicial appointee from the State’s third, or northern district, which includes the following counties: Lake, Porter, Laporte, St. Joseph, Elkhart, LaGrange, Steuben, Newton, Jasper, Starke, Pulaski, Marshall, Fulton, Kosciusko, Noble, Whitley, DeKalb, Allen, Benton, and Warren.

Born and raised in St. Joseph County, Judge Tavitas pursued her legal career in northwest Indiana. Prior to her appointment to the Court of Appeals, she served for more than twelve years as Judge of the Superior Court of Lake County, Civil Division from 2006-2018. She began her legal career as a deputy prosecutor in the Lake County Prosecutor's Office. She then served as a juvenile public defender in the Lake Superior Court, Juvenile Division and maintained a private practice.  In 1998, she was appointed to the position of referee in the Lake Superior Court, Juvenile Division, where she served until 2006.

Judge Tavitas has donated her time in service of the profession throughout her career, serving on numerous boards and committees throughout her tenure. Some of her roles include serving as Chair and board member of NWI Volunteer Lawyers, Inc., as a judicial appointee member of the Indiana Pro Bono Commission, as a board member of Indiana Legal Services, Inc., as a board member of the Notre Dame Law School Association and Executive Advisory Committee, as a judicial appointee member of the Indiana Supreme Court Domestic Relations Committee, as Chair of the Indiana Family Law Taskforce, as a board member of both the Indiana Bar Foundation and the Coalition for Court Access, as a member of the Indiana Judges Association, and as Chair of the Indiana State Bar Association, Appellate Practice Section Council. Judge Tavitas is also an active member of several bar associations and is a member of the Sagamore American Inn of Court.

An avid advocate for civics education and continuous learning, Judge Tavitas has served as a moot court judge for competitions at Notre Dame Law School, Wabash College, and the Indiana Bar Foundation’s "We the People" competition. As a trial court judge, she sponsored Guardian Ad Litem (GAL) trainings.  She has been a frequent speaker for lawyers, judges, and court staff trainings throughout Indiana, and has served as an adjunct law professor at IU McKinney teaching Indiana constitutional law.

In 2015, Judge Tavitas was named Most Influential Woman of Northwest Indiana in the Law. She was also a recipient of a 2019 Fellows Award from the Indiana Bar Foundation and received the Indiana Lawyer’s 2021 Distinguished Barrister award.  In 2023, she was recognized as a Courageous Judge Honoree by the National Judicial College for demonstrating courage in upholding the rule of law and providing justice for all.

By law, the 15-member Court of Appeals elects a Chief Judge every three years.  The Chief Judge represents the court at public and private events, attends ceremonies, serves as the court’s liaison to the legislative and executive branches, and leads the administrative functions of the court.