# Indiana HB 1144: Courts.

Indiana HB 1144, Courts., is a First Regular Session 124th General Assembly (2025) House bill sponsored by Chris Jeter (Republican); status signed, last action 2025-05-06 (Signed by the Governor) (as of 2026-10-17).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/IN-HB1144-2025
- As of: 2026-10-17
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: Indiana HB 1144
- State: Indiana
- Session: First Regular Session 124th General Assembly (2025)
- Title: Courts.
- Status: signed
- Chamber: House
- Introduced: 2025-01-08
- Last action: 2025-05-06, Signed by the Governor
- Sponsor: Chris Jeter (Republican)
- Cosponsors: 8
- Subjects: courts and criminal code, the senate, judiciary, appropriations
- Touches household money: no
- Roll calls: 4 (252 yes, 25 no in all)
- Economic provisions PRIA read: 0

## Summary

Provides that the judges of the Marion County juvenile courts may not appoint more than 11 magistrates. Eliminates a court in Blackford County and Monroe County. Eliminates a magistrate in Jennings County. Allows the judges of the Elkhart circuit and superior courts to appoint four full-time magistrates. (Current law allows for the appointment of two magistrates.) Adds two superior courts to Hamilton County. Provides that the first judges of Hamilton superior courts No. 8 and No. 9 shall: (1) be elected at the November 2026 general election; (2) take office January 1, 2027; and (3) serve a term of six years. Allows the judges of the Hamilton circuit and superior courts to jointly appoint two additional magistrates to serve the Hamilton County courts. Allows the judge of the Lawrence County juvenile court to appoint not more than one full-time magistrate. Allows the judges of the Vigo circuit and superior courts to jointly appoint one magistrate to serve the Vigo County courts.

## Bill overview

No economic impacts identified for this bill.

## Sponsors and cosponsors

- Sponsor: Chris Jeter (Republican), House
- Cosponsor: Danny Lopez (Republican), House
- Cosponsor: Eric Koch (Republican), Senate
- Cosponsor: Greg Goode (Republican), Senate
- Cosponsor: Linda Rogers (Republican), Senate
- Cosponsor: Liz Brown (Republican), Senate
- Cosponsor: Lonnie Randolph (Democratic), Senate
- Cosponsor: Timothy Wesco (Republican), House
- Cosponsor: Tonya Pfaff (Democratic), House

## Roll call votes

| Date | Chamber | Motion | Result | Yes | No | Other |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 2025-04-24 | House | Rules Suspended. Conference Committee Report 1: adopted by the House | pass | 83 | 5 |   |
| 2025-04-24 | Senate | Rules Suspended. Conference Committee Report 1: adopted by the Senate | pass | 45 | 4 |   |
| 2025-04-15 | Senate | Third reading: passed | pass | 33 | 16 |   |
| 2025-02-11 | House | Third reading: passed | pass | 91 | 0 |   |

## Actions (38)

- 2025-05-06: Signed by the Governor (House)
- 2025-05-06: Public Law 224 (House)
- 2025-04-29: Signed by the President of the Senate (Senate)
- 2025-04-28: Signed by the President Pro Tempore (Senate)
- 2025-04-25: Signed by the Speaker (House)
- 2025-04-24: Rules Suspended. Conference Committee Report 1: adopted by the House; Roll Call 558: yeas 83, nays 5 (House)
- 2025-04-24: Rules Suspended. Conference Committee Report 1: adopted by the Senate; Roll Call 525: yeas 45, nays 4 (Senate)
- 2025-04-24: CCR # 1 filed in the Senate (Senate)
- 2025-04-24: CCR # 1 filed in the House (House)
- 2025-04-17: Senate advisors appointed: Yoder and Koch (Senate)
- 2025-04-17: Senate conferees appointed: Brown L and Pol (Senate)
- 2025-04-16: Motion to dissent filed (House)
- 2025-04-16: House advisors appointed: Zimmerman, Wesco, Borders, Garcia Wilburn and Gore (House)
- 2025-04-16: House conferees appointed: Jeter and Pfaff (House)
- 2025-04-16: Returned to the House with amendments (Senate)
- 2025-04-16: House dissented from Senate amendments (House)
- 2025-04-15: Third reading: passed; Roll Call 432: yeas 33, nays 16 (Senate)
- 2025-04-14: Second reading: amended, ordered engrossed (Senate)
- 2025-04-14: Amendment #4 (Freeman) prevailed; voice vote (Senate)
- 2025-04-14: Amendment #2 (Yoder) failed; voice vote (Senate)
- 2025-04-14: Amendment #5 (Brown L) prevailed; voice vote (Senate)
- 2025-04-10: Senator Randolph added as cosponsor (Senate)
- 2025-04-10: Committee report: amend do pass, adopted (Senate)
- 2025-03-27: Senator Rogers added as third sponsor (Senate)
- 2025-03-27: Committee report: amend do pass adopted; reassigned to Committee on Appropriations (Senate)
- 2025-03-18: Senator Goode added as cosponsor (Senate)
- 2025-03-03: First reading: referred to Committee on Judiciary (Senate)
- 2025-02-12: Referred to the Senate (House)
- 2025-02-11: Third reading: passed; Roll Call 130: yeas 91, nays 0 (House)
- 2025-02-11: Senate sponsors: Senators Brown L and Koch (House)
- 2025-02-10: Representative Lopez D added as coauthor (House)
- 2025-02-10: Representatives Pfaff and Wesco added as coauthors (House)
- 2025-02-10: Second reading: ordered engrossed (House)
- 2025-02-06: Committee report: amend do pass, adopted (House)
- 2025-01-21: Committee report: do pass, adopted (House)
- 2025-01-21: Recommitted to the Committee on Ways and Means pursuant to House Rule 126.3 (House)
- 2025-01-08: First reading: referred to Committee on Courts and Criminal Code (House)
- 2025-01-08: Authored by Representative Jeter (House)

## Bill text

- Engrossed House Bill (H): [PDF](https://api.iga.in.gov/2025/bills/HB1144/versions/HB1144.06.ENGS?format=pdf)
- Enrolled House Bill (H): [PDF](https://api.iga.in.gov/2025/bills/HB1144/versions/HB1144.07.ENRS?format=pdf)
- House Bill (H): [PDF](https://api.iga.in.gov/2025/bills/HB1144/versions/HB1144.02.COMH?format=pdf)
- House Bill (S): [PDF](https://api.iga.in.gov/2025/bills/HB1144/versions/HB1144.03.COMH?format=pdf), [PDF](https://api.iga.in.gov/2025/bills/HB1144/versions/HB1144.04.COMS?format=pdf), [PDF](https://api.iga.in.gov/2025/bills/HB1144/versions/HB1144.05.COMS?format=pdf)
- Introduced House Bill (H): [PDF](https://api.iga.in.gov/2025/bills/HB1144/versions/HB1144.01.INTR?format=pdf)

## Related bills

- SB 324: Criminal procedures. (signed)
- SB 231: Various corrections matters. (signed)
- SB 80: Code publication. (signed)
- SB 453: Various tax matters. (signed)
- SB 464: Financial institutions and consumer credit. (signed)
- SB 371: Workforce matters. (signed)

## Sources
- [Engrossed House Bill (H) (PDF)](https://api.iga.in.gov/2025/bills/HB1144/versions/HB1144.06.ENGS?format=pdf)
- [Enrolled House Bill (H) (PDF)](https://api.iga.in.gov/2025/bills/HB1144/versions/HB1144.07.ENRS?format=pdf)
- [House Bill (H) (PDF)](https://api.iga.in.gov/2025/bills/HB1144/versions/HB1144.02.COMH?format=pdf)
- [House Bill (S) (PDF)](https://api.iga.in.gov/2025/bills/HB1144/versions/HB1144.03.COMH?format=pdf)
- [House Bill (S) (PDF)](https://api.iga.in.gov/2025/bills/HB1144/versions/HB1144.04.COMS?format=pdf)
- [House Bill (S) (PDF)](https://api.iga.in.gov/2025/bills/HB1144/versions/HB1144.05.COMS?format=pdf)
- [Introduced House Bill (H) (PDF)](https://api.iga.in.gov/2025/bills/HB1144/versions/HB1144.01.INTR?format=pdf)

## Related
- [SB 324: Criminal procedures.](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/IN-SB324-2025)
- [SB 231: Various corrections matters.](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/IN-SB231-2025)
- [SB 80: Code publication.](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/IN-SB80-2025)
- [SB 453: Various tax matters.](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/IN-SB453-2025)
- [SB 464: Financial institutions and consumer credit.](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/IN-SB464-2025)
- [SB 371: Workforce matters.](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/IN-SB371-2025)
- [Indiana bills](https://policyrisk.com/states/indiana/bills)
- [Indiana state hub](https://policyrisk.com/states/indiana)
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Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/IN-HB1144-2025 (as of 2026-10-17).