INDIANAPOLIS (AP) – Loretta Rush is now the first female Supreme Court chief justice in Indiana history.
Rush was sworn in Monday afternoon by Gov. Mike Pence. She replaces Brent Dickson, who announced in June that he would step down but stay on as an associate justice. He faces mandatory retirement when he turns 75 in 2016.
Rush was selected earlier this month by the Judicial Nominating Commission. She's Indiana's first female chief justice, but also has drawn praise for her performance on the court.
The former Tippecanoe County judge was appointed to the Supreme Court by then-Gov. Mitch Daniels in 2012. She's the first woman to serve on the court since Myra Selby resigned in 1999.
Indiana justices are appointed to five-year terms before facing a retention vote.
