Investiture for Magistrate Judge Mario Garcia set for Friday, May 13

PRESS RELEASE

INDIANAPOLIS, Indiana (May 12, 2022): The Honorable Tanya Walton Pratt, Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Indiana, announced that a formal swearing-in ceremony for United States Magistrate Judge Mario Garcia will be held tomorrow, Friday, May 13, 2022, at 2:00 p.m. at the Birch Bayh Federal Building and United States Courthouse in Indianapolis, Indiana. Chief Judge Pratt will preside over the en banc ceremony in the William E. Steckler Ceremonial Courtroom (courtroom 202). Judge Garcia is the first judge of Hispanic heritage to serve the Southern District of Indiana.

Judge Garcia was selected by the District Judges of the court to fill a newly created magistrate judgeship.

Born in Bloomington, Indiana, Judge Garcia is a 1995 graduate of Ball State University, where he received his Bachelor of Arts degree in criminal justice and criminology. He studied law at Indiana University School of Law – Indianapolis, where he graduated in 1999. While in law school, Judge Garcia was awarded the Cale J. Holder Scholarship and F. Emerson Boyd Scholarship. He was also a member of the Order of the Barristers and the Hispanic Law Society.

Upon graduation from law school, Judge Garcia joined the law firm that became Brattain Minnix Garcia. He became a partner in the firm in 2008 and rose to the position of Managing Member. Judge Garcia trained as a registered civil mediator and has extensive courtroom experience in both civil and criminal law, appearing in more than 500 hearings in Indiana's federal and state courts in the last five years. He was also selected by the Indiana Federal Community Defender’s Office to lead the response to pro se compassionate release filings under the First Step Act.

Judge Garcia was a member of the Southern District of Indiana's Criminal Justice Act panel and provided pro bono services for 10 years to participants in the District Court's Re-Entry and Community Help (REACH) Program, which helps individuals re-entering society after incarceration obtain access to housing, employment, and public assistance programs. He will continue to serve the REACH Program as a judicial officer on an as-needed basis. He will also remain on the Southern District of Indiana's Local Rules Advisory Committee.

Judge Garcia volunteers throughout the community, including for the Alzheimer’s Association Greater Indiana Chapter.  He served as a Trustee and Vice Chairman of the Board of Trustees for The Orchard School and Member of the Board of Directors for La Plaza, Inc. (formerly The Hispanic Center, Inc., where he served as Board Chairman).  He also served as Chairman of the Board for the Indiana Federal Community Defenders, Inc.

United States Magistrate Judges are appointed by the Judges of the U.S. District Court for a term of eight years and are eligible for reappointment to successive terms. Magistrate Judges preside over many pretrial proceedings in both civil and criminal cases in federal court. A critical component of the position is conducting mediation and settlement proceedings in civil cases, helping parties settle their disputes by agreement.

The investiture ceremony is a public event, but seating is limiting. A Zoom link is available for people who wish to view the ceremony remotely. Photography will be permitted during the program. If you would like to receive the Zoom link, send a photographer and/or reporter to cover the ceremony, or have other questions, please contact Deputy Clerk Doria Lynch at Doria_lynch@insd.uscourts.gov.

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