Civic
Every race on your ballot, with sources. Races by stateJoin the Luminary network

What this office does · Indiana

Judge, Small Claims Court (Marion County township courts)

Hears civil cases of up to $10,000 and landlord-tenant possession cases in a Marion County township small claims court.

Find your exact ballotAll Indiana offices

The basics

Term
4 years, beginning Jan. 1 after election; elected by voters of the township. [3, 4]
Term limit
None. [4]
Who may stand
U.S. citizen; one year township residence on taking office (or elected before 1999); admitted to practice law in Indiana when filing as a candidate. [5]
On the 2026 ballot
9 races in Indiana

What the law puts in this job

  • Hears small claims (up to $10,000) and possession-of-property (eviction) cases arising in the township. [1, 2]

What the officeholder decides

  • Eviction and debt-collection dockets, use of mediation, and court schedules. [8]

Who the officeholder answers to

  • Voters of the township; Supreme Court judicial discipline; appeals to the Court of Appeals. [7]

What it pays, and who sets that

  • For a full-time court, 75% of the minimum salary the state pays the Marion County circuit court judge; may not be reduced during the term. [6]

Questions worth asking a candidate

Ours, not a questionnaire anyone answered. They come from what the job actually involves.

  • How will you make sure tenants and small-business owners without lawyers understand the process?
  • What is your view on mediation before eviction hearings?

Sources

Office research by Legal Insights (Oct. 13, 2026): Indiana Code 2026 edition, state agencies and county budgets. Nothing here rates an officeholder or candidate.

Sources

  1. Indiana Code 33-34-3-2 (2026 edition) (Indiana General Assembly)
  2. Legal Insights office summaries (Civic)
  3. Indiana Code 33-34-2-1 (2026 edition) (Indiana General Assembly)
  4. Indiana Code 33-34-2-3 (2026 edition) (Indiana General Assembly)
  5. Indiana Code 3-8-1-30 (2026 edition) (Indiana General Assembly)
  6. Indiana Code 33-34-2-5 (2026 edition) (Indiana General Assembly)
  7. Indiana Code 33-34-2-10 (2026 edition) (Indiana General Assembly)
  8. Trial court statistics: pending, incoming, disposed workbooks 2019-2025 (Indiana Office of Court Services)
  9. 2026 General Election Candidate List (Sept. 22, 2026) (Indiana Election Division)
What's included
the U.S. House, statewide offices, every Indiana House and Senate district on the ballot, Indiana's statewide public questions and judicial retention questions, and county, township, city, town and school board races from the Indiana Election Division's candidate list.
Everything else
Local races (county, city, school board, judges) and anything else on your ballot are on your official sample ballot: IndianaVoters.in.gov.
Candidate lists
As of Sunday, October 18, 2026.
At the polls
Indiana law lets you bring a list of candidates and public questions into the polling place, including one stored on your phone, as long as you don't electioneer. IC 3-11-8-18.5

This is not an official ballot. Confirm your registration, polling place and ballot with your election office through vote.gov.