Superior Court 2234 Washington Street • Columbus, IN 47201 About UsAs noted above, our Court handles all types of civil cases, except juvenile (Circuit Court has exclusive jurisdiction of those cases). Superior Court 2 handles D felonies and most of the misdemeanor criminal cases filed in Bartholomew County. By local court rule, most A, B, & C felonies are handled in Circuit or Superior Court 1, and all traffic cases, ordinance violations, and small claims are filed in Superior Court 2. The Superior Court 2 Judge is the supervising Judge for the Court Services Drug and Alcohol Program. In 1986, the last year as a County Court, new filings totaled 12,122. New filings in 2000 totaled 18,338. Traffic infractions were 11,598 of that number and small claims another 4,195. The remaining 2,545 new filings in 2000 represented dissolutions, guardianships, wills, civil tort and plenary, probate, criminal cases, etc. Bartholomew Superior Court 2 is served by Kathleen Tighe Coriden, Judge, and Joseph Meek, Magistrate and eight support staff all with a combined service to Bartholomew County of one hundred sixty-two years. History Indiana had a system of Justice's of the Peace until 1976 when J.P.'s were abolished and County Courts were established. Presiding Judges were required to be practicing attorneys admitted to the Bar in Indiana. The Bartholomew County Court was established in 1976. In 1987, the Bartholomew County Court was elevated to a Superior Court by the Indiana legislature. As a County Court the judge had jurisdiction over most civil cases where the damages did not exceed $10,000.00, landlord-tenants actions, class D felonies, misdemeanors, traffic infractions, local ordinance violations, and small claims where damages did not exceed $3,000.00. Designation as the second Superior Court in the county brought jurisdiction over cases involving injunctive relief, partitions and liens on real property, estates, dissolution of marriage, custody, protective orders, adoptions, guardianships, and civil tort and plenary cases (with no damage limitations). July 1, 2005 the Indiana Legislature increased the small claims jurisdiction to $6,000.00. |
