We don't have the money. And if there is any question about the ability to deliver on that promise, whether it is true or accurate, or whether it is just an appearance of the ability to deliver on that promise, the underlying foundation for the justice system is undermined. Across much of Indiana, pro tems keep court calendars moving when regular judges are sick, on vacation or attending conferences. Pro tems sign search warrants, grant continuances, set bonds. Hancock Circuit Judge Richard D. Culver said that even when he is ill, criminal defendants still have rights.
Judges choose their own pro tems.
And by picking lawyers who practice criminal law, they can be sure the pro tems know their stuff. Maybe a . . . He's never done a trial. Still, most citizens who come to court to watch proceedings or to testify have no idea that the judge is a practicing private attorney. And unlike full-time jurists, pro tems are not required to attend judicial seminars or conferences.