Judge seeks help on juvenile cases
NWI Times
Dec 29, 1995
http://www.nwitimes.com/uncategorized/judge-seeks-help-on-juvenile-cases/article_c8c67c32-90d5-568a-8d2a-640ff19448e2.html
VALPARAISO - Porter County Circuit Judge Raymond Kickbush wants to take advantage of what is expected to be a one-time offer by the state to pay for an assistant to lighten Kickbush's caseload.
The judge recently appointed retired Porter County Superior Judge Bryce Billings as the county's first juvenile court magistrate. But don't expect Billings to preside over any juvenile cases.
"I won't be drawing any pay, and I won't be doing any work," said Billings, who plans to spend the winter in Arizona. "Ray asked me if I'd let him use my name, and I said OK."
By creating the magistrate's position and appointing Billings to the post, Kickbush is complying with the proposed conditions for a state program that would pay for juvenile court magistrates in counties with populations of 50,000 or more.
When the Indiana General Assembly convenes in less than two weeks, lawmakers are expected to consider a bill requiring the state to pay the juvenile magistrates' $72,000-a-year salaries.
But the bill would cover only those magistrates appointed before Jan. 1, 1996. Each juvenile magistrate position created after that time would be subject to the approval of the General Assembly, which no doubt would require judges to thoroughly justify their requests for magistrates, state Sen. William Alexa said.
"If (Kickbush) has got one in place now, it would be grandfathered in and picked up by the state," said Alexa, D-Valparaiso.
If the state agrees to pay for a Porter County juvenile court magistrate, Kickbush will presumably replace Billings with a more permanent magistrate who would actually preside over cases.
Alexa expects the General Assembly to go along with the proposal for state-paid juvenile court magistrates because lawmakers recently agreed to pay the salaries of magistrates appointed by superior court judges.
Porter County court commissioners Katherine Ratliff Forbes and James Johnson were elevated to magistrates this summer. They handle routine judicial proceedings so that full-fledged judges can devote more time to complicated or unusual cases.
Kickbush believes he should be afforded the same type of assistance as superior court judges. Kickbush said he spends about 70 percent of his time on juvenile cases, though he is authorized to hear certain types of civil and criminal cases. Kickbush said he could handle a greater variety of cases if a magistrate were assigned to some of his juvenile cases.
"I've been hearing all of them (juvenile cases)," said Kickbush. "We've got to have a magistrate. It's needed and it's necessary."
Kickbush attempted to convince the County Council this summer to pay for a juvenile court referee who would function similar to a magistrate. The council turned Kickbush down, but the judge will be going back to the council next month asking for about $26,000 to pay for a court reporter to assist a magistrate.
Kickbush said he's prepared to demonstrate the need for a court reporter, but wouldn't predict whether the council will appropriate extra money for the position.
"The ball's in their court," Kickbush said. "They're the ones who will have to make the decision."
Kickbush scheduled an informational meeting for council members Jan. 18 in preparation for the council's regular monthly meeting Jan. 23. Council Vice President Michael Bucko said he's anxious to hear more about Kickbush's ideas, especially as they relate to the county's budget.
"I've not had the opportunity to talk to Judge Kickbush to find out where all this money is coming from," Bucko said.
