Porter County judge named to the Indiana Court of Appeals
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Porter Circuit Judge Mary DeBoer on Wednesday was named to the Indiana Court of Appeals, filling a vacancy created by the retirement of appellate Judge Patricia Riley.
Gov. Eric Holcomb, who is nearing the end of his second term, picked DeBoer as his seventh appointment to the 15-member Indiana Court of Appeals.
“Judge DeBoer is a person of immense integrity, intellect, and energy. I’m proud to appoint her to the Court of Appeals,” Holcomb said in written remarks. “Judge DeBoer’s commitment to the law and justice will serve her fellow Hoosiers with distinction as she joins the second highest bench in Indiana.”
DeBoer, 57, was appointed in 2019 to the Porter Circuit Court bench, where she handled a mix of civil and criminal cases, ranging from malpractice to murder. She also presided over the bench’s juvenile and family drug court, the truancy court and the mental health court.
Before being appointed circuit court judge, DeBoer was a magistrate judge in the Porter Superior Court for eight years. Prior to that, she worked as a deputy prosecutor in Porter and Starke counties.
During her interview for the appellate court job, she told the Indiana Judicial Nominating Commission that one of her biggest accomplishments as a judicial officer was creating the first truancy problem-solving court in Indiana. She gave the example of one teenaged truant who became the first in his family to graduate high school and even inspired his brother and father to earn their GEDs.
DeBoer was one of three candidates the nominating commission recommended to the governor from among eight applicants. The other finalists were Lake Superior Judge Stephen Scheele and St. Joseph Superior Court Judge Stephanie Steele.
The Indiana Court of Appeals will set a date for DeBoer’s swearing in and robing ceremony.