New federal judge nominated for Southern Indiana; Young eyes 'senior status'
U.S. Magistrate Judge Matthew Brookman has been nominated by President Joe Biden as federal district judge for the Southern District of Indiana.
If Brookman is confirmed by the Senate, long-time U.S. District Judge Richard Young will assume senior status, a form of semi-retirement allowing him to reduce his caseload. Young is perhaps best known for a 2014 ruling which struck down the ban on gay marriage in Indiana.
Young was nominated to the federal bench by then-President Bill Clinton and confirmed in 1998. Before that, he was a Vanderburgh County Circuit Court judge for eight years.
"That's 33 years of judging," Young told the Courier & Press Thursday. "I could have taken senior status a few years back but decided to wait a little longer. Now's the time."
Chief Judge Tanya Walton Pratt said in a news release issued by the court: "We are happy that Judge Young will be able to begin his journey of senior status, and very grateful for his continued service to the Court and the citizens of the Southern District of Indiana as he intends to maintain a substantial caseload. And we could not be happier to have Magistrate Judge Brookman as his nominated successor. Magistrate Judge Brookman has served the Southern District of Indiana bench with great dedication, skill, and grace since he joined us in 2016. These attributes will serve him well as he undertakes new responsibilities as a district judge."
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Brookman was appointed magistrate judge in February 2016 by district judges of the Southern District of Indiana. Before that he was with the local U.S. Attorney's Office, where he was chief of the Drug and Violent Crime Unit and Lead Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force Attorney.
He was also a member of the U.S. Attorney’s Executive Committee, capital case coordinator for the Southern District of Indiana, and served as a chair and a member from 2011 until 2015 of the United States Attorney’s various hiring committees.
In 2010, Brookman received the Director’s Award from Attorney General Eric Holder for superior performance as an Assistant U.S. Attorney, for his work on the United States v. Jarvis Brown, et al. quadruple homicide prosecution.
After spending the early part of his career in private practice and with the Jefferson County, Missouri, prosecutor's office, Brookman joined the Office of the U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Missouri in 1999. He Brookman then moved to the same office for the Southern District of Indiana in 2002. Brookman has taught adjunct courses at University of Evansville and the University of Southern Indiana
A St. Louis native, Brookman is a graduate of DePauw University, where he majored in economics and history. He obtained his law degree from the Washington University School of Law in May 1993.
If confirmed by the Senate, Brookman will maintain his primary chambers in Evansville and travel regularly to Indianapolis for hearings and trials.
Brookman has Young's enthusiastic endorsement to take his place.
"He appeared in my court as assistant U.S. attorney for many years," Young said. "I know him very well. His demeanor and judgement are excellent."
Young noted that the Senate "operates on a timeline of its own," but he estimated Brookman could receive a hearing before the Judiciary Committee in late January or early February, with a vote in the full Senate a few weeks later.
Young said he will keep his full caseload until a new judge is confirmed, and then he'll scale back.
He said his retirement plans include travel and learning the piano.
This article originally appeared on Evansville Courier & Press: New federal judge nominated as Richard Young eyes 'senior status'
