Indiana University East will welcome Indiana Supreme Court Justice Steven H. David to campus at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, September 18, in Tom Raper Hall, room 124. The event is a part of the Constitution Week Celebration at IU East. The event is free and open to the public.

Justice David will discuss a variety of topics relative to the United States and Indiana Constitutions.  An independent judiciary is essential for the American system of separated powers and checks and balances.  Justice David will discuss these concepts, as well as how the selection of Indiana’s trial and appellate courts attempts to balance the judiciary’s independence with political accountability.

Darrin Dolehanty is the Wayne Superior Court 3 Judge and an adjunct faculty member in criminal justice at IU East. Dolehanty organized the visit with Justice David to provide an opportunity for students to hear about course topics from someone at the appellate level.

“Justice David was very kind in agreeing to come to the class to speak not only about topics related directly to our criminal courts class, but also about the U.S. and Indiana Constitutions,” Dolehanty said. “Justice David’s visit to campus is a real honor.  If you have the chance to attend, I am confident you will find him to be an excellent and dynamic speaker, teacher, jurist and person.  Do not be at all surprised if you hear him use his identifying catch phrase, ‘Work Hard. Do Good. Be Proud. Have Fun.,’” Dolehanty said.

Justice David brings a wealth of experience in private practice and corporate. For the past 15 years, he has been a trial court judge in Boone County where he has presided over civil, criminal, family and juvenile cases.  When he was appointed by Governor Mitch Daniels to the Indiana Supreme Court, Justice David was the youngest member of the court, as far as tenure or time on the bench, Dolehanty said. He is now the third most tenured member. He has also served in the United States Army Judge Advocate General’s Corps for 28 years and retired in November 2010 with the rank of Colonel. He served as trial counsel, defense counsel, Military Judge and Commander.

Justice David graduated magna cum laude from the Murray State University as a Distinguished Military Graduate on an R.O.T.C. scholarship and he received his law degree from Indiana University’s Robert H. McKinney School of Law. Justice David also graduated from the Indiana Judicial College and the Graduate Program for Indiana Judges as well as the Army’s Command and General Staff College, the Military Judges School, and the Judge Advocate General’s Basic and Advanced Officer’s Course.

Justice David is a long-time resident of Indiana and has resided in Boone County for 22 years. He is the recipient of military and citizen awards including the nation’s third highest non-combat medal, the Defense Superior Service Award; multiple Meritorious Service Awards; the Army Commendation Medals; the Frederick Douglas Human Rights Award; and he was named Boone County’s Citizen of the Year in 1999. He has testified before the Indiana General Assembly on juvenile law and is a recipient of the coveted Robert Kinsey Award as the most outstanding Juvenile Court Judge in Indiana. His efforts to improve the availability of mental health services for children led to his recognition by the Indiana chapter of the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill. Justice David’s full biography is available online at http://www.in.gov/judiciary/citc/3290.htm.

Constitution Week is sponsored by the Student Government Association, Student Activity Advisory Team, the School of Humanities and Social Sciences and the American Democracy Project at IU East. Throughout the week, IU East will distribute miniature copies of the United States Constitution and provide an expression wall in Tom Raper Hall for students to record their thoughts. There will also be open forums in the Graf Center Lounge, videos, distribution of voter registrations.

The Student Government Association will have a “What’s Your Issue” table from 4-6 p.m. in Tom Raper Hall on September 18 and 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Graf Center Lounge on September 19. Also on September 19, student activities include a verbal montage and the opportunity to meet with local representatives. On September 20, the History and Political Science Club is hosting a mock presidential debate at 12:30 p.m. in the Graf Center Lounge.