Longtime Madison County Judge Thomas Newman Jr. dies at age 82

Sep. 25—ANDERSON — Long-time Madison County judge Thomas Newman Jr. passed away Sunday.

Newman, 82, served as the judge of Madison County Circuit Court District 3 from 1976 until his retirement in 2018.

At the time Newman was the longest serving judge in Indiana.

During his tenure Newman was instrumental in starting the Drug Court in Madison County and in the 1970s brought word processors to the local court system.

Newman also presided over the first same sex wedding in Madison County.

Before being elected judge, Newman worked for U.S. Sen. Birch Bayh, was an attorney in the Indiana General Assembly and earned three college degrees.

For many of those years, Newman's judicial office was filled with the artwork he collected. His passion for the arts was fostered by his mother, Helen, a well-known local artist.

He served briefly as the chairman of the Madison County Democratic Party and lost a bid for an at-large seat on the Madison County Council in 2020.

"My beloved father's death, Judge Newman, is a moment of the greatest sadness for me and our family members," Alexander Newman said. "We profoundly mourn the passing of a unique Madison County servant and much loved father, who always did more than was asked of him."

Alexander Newman said the family is taking comfort and sustained by the knowledge of the respect and lasting affection for his father.

"He cherished his community, Anderson, and it warms us to no end knowing his community likewise cherished him," he said.

Madison County Prosecutor Rodney Cummings recalled Newman's tenure at the bench as showing compassion to some of the defendants that appeared in his court.

"Judge Newman had such a spirit for community service," Cummings said. "He was always available. He was able to hold criminals accountable for their actions, but was willing to give people a second chance."

Cummings said that in the past when the prosecutor's office could determine which court to file cases in, Newman's court got the majority of the major cases.

Anderson Mayor Thomas Broderick Jr., who served as a prosecutor and attorney during Newman's tenure as judge said he was the most influential judge that the county saw in the past 40 years.

"He was the father of the Unified Court System in Madison County, which helped make our local justice system more efficient and responsive," he said. "Madison County became a role model for others to follow that to the efforts and foresight of Judge Newman."

Broderick said Newman was always well versed in the law and well respected among those in the legal profession.

"Madison County is a better place because of Tom Newman," he said, "and he will be missed by a grateful community."

"Judge Newman's absence will be missed in a multitude of ways," former State Rep. Terri Austin said. "He truly was a champion for the common man.

"He helped launch the careers of so many new lawyers and judges through the years," she said. "His support and advice to candidates seeking public office was invaluable."

Austin said Newman was old school and when he gave his word, it could be counted on.

"He made friends with people from all walks of life," she said. "He might have been a judge, but he never believed he was better than anyone else. That's why he was so successful."

Former Judge Dennis Carroll said Newman was never afraid to try new ideas and the first to recommend unification of the local court system.

"First, Judge Newman never became cynical, even in the final years of his service," Carroll said. "In our business, we dealt with serious offenders, rule breakers and repeat offenders. It would be easy for any judge with 40 years of service to become cynical and jaded. Judge Newman never became cynical about the value of our work, or about the people who appeared before him.

"Even when he would see the same offender multiple times, he seemed to believe rehabilitation was possible, sometimes even when probation, prosecutors and colleagues were ready to throw in the towel," he said of Newman.

Carroll said Judge Newman remained a visionary, young at heart, even after he had been on the bench for many years.

"Many experienced judges were annoyed by changes in technology," he said. "Judge Newman embraced technology. We were among the first in the state to use computer-assisted record keeping. Newman was always ready to deploy new tools in the criminal justice arsenal. He embraced electronic monitoring, community corrections and problem-solving courts."

Follow Ken de la Bastide on Twitter @KendelaBastide, or call 765-640-4863.