Randall T. Shepard

Early life and education

Randall Terry Shepard was born in Lafayette in 1946, but spent most of his formative years in Evansville, Indiana. Shepard is a seventh generation Hoosier. He is an Eagle Scout and has received the Distinguished Eagle Scout Award. He graduated from Princeton University in 1969 and from the Yale Law School in 1972, and earned a Master of Laws degree from the University of Virginia School of Law in 1995.

Career

Shepard served as executive assistant to Mayor Russell Lloyd of Evansville. In 1979, he was the Republican Party's nominee for mayor himself. He was later a special assistant to the Under Secretary of the U.S. Department of Transportation. He was judge of the Vanderburgh County Superior Court from 1980 to 1985. He was appointed the ninety-ninth justice of the Indiana Supreme Court by Governor Robert D. Orr in 1985. He was chosen to become the chief justice of Indiana in March 1987, then the youngest state chief justice. Chief Justice Shepard was a chairperson of Indiana's State Student Assistance Commission and a trustee of the National Trust for Historic Preservation for eleven years. He has also served as chair of the ABA Appellate Judges Conference and of the Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar. He is currently the honorary chair and a member of the executive committee of the Indiana Landmarks. Shepard served as President of the National Conference of Chief Justices in 2005 and 2006.

In 2006, Shepard was appointed by Chief Justice John Roberts to be on the U.S. Judicial Conference Advisory Committee on Civil Rules, which the U.S. Supreme Court uses to form changes to the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure.

In September 2005 Shepard was chosen by the Indiana Judicial Nominating Commission and reappointed by Governor Mitch Daniels to the Supreme Court. On November 4, 2008, the public voted to keep Shepard on the court in a statewide retention election.

In July 2007, Shepard and former Governor Joe Kernan were appointed by Daniels to co-chair the Indiana Commission on Local Government Reform.

As a justice, he has authored more than 900 majority opinions. He has also published more than 65 law review articles.

Shepard retired March 23, 2012. Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels appointed Mark Massa to take Shepard's seat on the Court.

Personal life

Shepard is married to Amy MacDonell and has one daughter, Martha, born in 1995. He occasionally teaches law at New York University and Yale Law School.

References

References

1. (December 15, 2014). "Kernan-Shepard Report update". The Times (Munster, Indiana).
2. "100th Anniversary Eagle Scout Celebration Dinner". Crossroads of America Council.
3. "Indiana Supreme Court". IN.gov.
4. (6 May 1979). "State Prepares for Mayoral Races". The Vincennes Sun-Commercial.
5. "Indiana Commission on Local Government Reform". [[Indiana University School of Public and Environmental Affairs]].
6. "Randall T. Shepard: Robert H. McKinney School of Law: Indiana University".
7. [http://www.indystar.com/article/20120323/NEWS05/120323030/Daniels-appoints-Massa-Indiana-Supreme-Court-vacancy Gov. Daniels appoints Mark Massa for Indiana Supreme Court vacancy]