Judge Tavitas (Photo provided, Court of Appeals of Indiana)
In Indianapolis, the judges of the Court of Appeals of Indiana elected Judge Elizabeth Tavitas to serve a three-year term as Chief Judge beginning January 1, 2026. Prior to being appointed to the Court of Appeals in 2018, Tavitas served more than twelve years as Judge of the Superior Court of Lake County, Civil Division. Originally from St. Joseph County, Judge Tavitas pursued her legal career in northwest Indiana, starting as a deputy prosecutor in the Lake County Prosecutor’s Office, a news release said. She then served as a juvenile public defender in the Lake Superior Court, Juvenile Division and maintained a private practice. In 1998, she was appointed to the position of referee in the Lake Superior Court, Juvenile Division, where she served until 2006. Judge Tavitas succeeds her colleague, Judge Robert R. Altice, Jr., who served as Chief Judge of the Court of Appeals from January 1, 2023 to December 31, 2025. Judge Tavitas is a judicial appointee from the State’s third, or northern district, which includes the following counties: Lake, Porter, La Porte, St. Joseph, Elkhart, LaGrange, Steuben, Newton, Jasper, Starke, Pulaski, Marshall, Fulton, Kosciusko, Noble, Whitley, DeKalb, Allen, Benton, and Warren. Judicial officials say by law, the 15-member Court of Appeals elects a Chief Judge every three years. The Chief Judge represents the court at public and private events, attends ceremonies, serves as the court’s liaison to the legislative and executive branches, and leads the administrative functions of the court.
