Governor Eric Holcomb has announced Stephanie Steele as his appointment to the St. Joseph County Superior Court.
Steele succeeds Judge Jane Woodward Miller, who retired at the end of her term on December 31, 2020 but remained on the bench as a senior judge. Steele will be sworn in as the judge of the St. Joseph County Superior Court on a date that is yet to be determined.
Since 2015, Steele has served the city of South Bend, first as assistant city attorney and then beginning in 2017 as corporation counsel. From 2010-2015, she served as a deputy prosecutor for St. Joseph County. Steele earned an undergraduate degree from the University of Michigan and a law degree from Arizona State University.
Steele was one of five candidates submitted to Governor Holcomb by the St. Joseph County Superior Court Judicial Nominating Commission. The commission consists of seven members: three attorneys and three non-attorney members; Indiana Supreme Court Justice Christopher Goff serves as chair.
St. Joseph County is one of only two counties in the state where judges are not elected.