In a 2-1 vote, the Lake County Board of Commissioners approved a resolution supporting the election of Lake County Superior Court judges.

Lake County Superior Court county and criminal division judges are appointed by the governor, according to the one-page resolution, following a “judicial nominating process which was statutorily created for Lake County by the General Assembly.”

Since 1972, a Judicial Nominating Commission — made up of seven members — interviews candidates and recommends three nominees for the governor to choose from.

In the majority of counties, Superior Court judges are elected by the residents and are required to run for reelection every six years, according to the resolution.

“In order to give Lake County residents the same voice in the selection of its judges as a vast majority of fellow Hoosiers’, the Lake County Board of Commissioners supports the election of all Superior Court Judges in Lake County,” according to the resolution.

Commissioner Kyle Allen, D-1st, said all throughout the state besides Lake, St. Joesph and Marion counties residents can elect Superior Court judges.

“If the voters in those other counties are allowed to select their judges, to make informed decisions ... these other counties should be able to do the same,” Allen said.

Board President Commissioner Michael Repay, D-3rd, said the process to appoint judges was pitched by the legislature as an experiment to see if the rest of the state should also have appointed judges.

“Well, they haven’t rolled it out to everybody. I think that in of itself is an indicator that it’s not so great, because if it was great for Lake (County) and St. Joseph (County), they’d do it in Tippecanoe (County).”

Repay said the board does not disparage the current Lake County Superior Court judges, but Lake County should be treated the same way as the rest of the state.

Commissioner Jerry Tippy, R-2nd, said while he agrees the current system needs improvement, like objective qualifications, “going to an elected system I don’t think will give us (a) balanced court system.”

The board voted 2-1, with Tippy voting against, to approve the resolution.

In March, the Lake County Council voted 5-2, along party lines, to approve a similar resolution supporting the election of Lake County Superior Court judges.

The one-page council resolution states the governor appoints Superior Court judges in Lake County, while “in the majority of counties” judges are elected by residents. The council supports the election of all Superior Court judges “in order to give the residents of Lake County a voice in the selection of judges,” the resolution states.

As a former state legislator, Councilman Charlie Brown, D-Gary, previously said he’s been working for 41 years to undo this procedure. While it isn’t clear why three counties in Indiana can’t elect Superior Court judges, Brown said, “some of us know the hidden reason” and that it is “time to move to the 21st century.”

“There is no logical, feasible, fair explanation as to why Lake County can’t elect their Superior Court judges,” Brown previously said.

Councilman Dave Hamm, D-Hammond, previously said 85% of the state’s Black population lives in Lake, St. Joseph and Marion counties, while 75% of the state’s white population lives outside of those counties.

“It appears to me it is racial injustice,” Hamm previously said.

Councilmen Christian Jorgensen, R-St. John, and Dan Dernulc, R-Highland, voted against the resolution without explaining their opposition. After the call of the vote, Jorgensen winked at Dernulc.

Jorgensen later said there are “diverse judges” and that the issue is “not a racial issue.”

Dernulc, who is running as the Republican candidate for the newly redistricted Senate District 1, said previously he hopes to be elected to the legislature to address the issue. He said he’d be open to talking to Brown more about it then, though he isn’t sure he agrees with Brown.

“I think we should keep what we have,” Dernulc previously said. “(The legislature’s) wisdom was wise on this topic.”