Kosciusko Superior Court IV Judge Christopher D. Kehler, right, recently received a certificate from Indiana Chief Justice Loretta Rush for completing the Indiana Judicial College program. Photo provided.

News Release

INDIANAPOLIS — Many judges, magistrates, commissioners and referees recently were recognized by Chief Justice Loretta Rush for their commitment to higher education and their longtime service.

Twenty-three judicial officers received an Indiana Judicial College certificate, 31 were recognized for participating in the two-year/two-week Indiana Graduate Program for Judges, and six were honored for years of service on the bench. The accolades were presented at an annual judicial conference.

Indiana Judicial College

Judicial officers must complete 120 hours of education presented by the Indiana Office of Court Services to receive this certificate. The program enhances legal knowledge and improves personal and professional development.

One area judge who was honored was Judge Christopher Kehler of Kosciusko County.

Indiana Graduate Program For Judges

The Graduate Program is a limited attendance educational experience for appellate and trial level judicial officers that offers an in-depth and intensive learning experience and requires attendees to commit to one week of course work for two consecutive summers.

Three area judges who were honored were Judge Michael Christofeno of Elkhart County, Judge Douglas Fahl of Whitley County, and Judge Matthew Rentschler of Whitley County.

The Indiana Office of Court Services is part of the Office of Judicial Administration. It serves as the state’s judicial research and continuing judicial education agency. It develops and sponsors educational programming for judges, probation officers and other court personnel. The office works to enhance the performance of the judicial system by continuously improving the professional competence of judicial officers.

At the same conference, the Indiana Judges Association also presented several awards. Executive, legislative, judicial and media awards were presented to honor leaders in their respective fields. The Indiana Judges Association thanked the recipients for their efforts to work in collaboration with the courts as champions of justice.

On behalf of the Indiana Judges Association, the Judicial Conference Community Relations Committee presented outreach awards to judges and journalists for their efforts at communicating the work of the courts.