Meet Kurt Earnst - Candidate(R) for LaPorte County Judge of Superior Court 3

Meet Kurt Earnst, a candidate for Judge of LaPorte County Superior Court 3. Superior Court 3 seat is currently held by Judge Thorne (who is retiring and not seeking reelection). Tune in Wednesday night at 7PM Central to meet one of the two men that will replace Judge Thorne. The other candidate in this race was contacted and we are awaiting a response. We hope they come on as well. We ask all of our candidates to send us a bio, and the following is what we received: "Diversity of Experience, Leadership and Dedication to Public Service. This is what I offer in seeking to be the next Judge of LaPorte Superior Court #3. For me, being a judge is the highest form of public service a lawyer can aspire to. Since my graduation from Valparaiso University School of Law in 1996, I have made LaPorte County my home. My wife is a lifelong resident of LaPorte County and my daughter attends LaPorte High School. From my graduation from law school to December of 2024, I practiced trial law with the Law Firm of Braje, Nelson & Janes in Michigan City. For twenty of those years, I was a partner with that firm. For the past year and a half, I have been a Federal Community Defender engaged in defending those charged with crimes in federal court. For 29 years, I have been a trial lawyer in the various Federal and State Courts of Northwest Indiana actively representing clients and trying cases as to felony and misdemeanor matters as well as civil litigation including personal injury, contract litigation and landlord-tenant disputes. For over 20 years, I was the attorney for the Michigan City Public Library handling construction contracts, employment issues as well as acting as general legal counsel. I have argued before the Indiana Supreme Court as well as the United States 7 th Circuit Court of Appeals. I was also part of the litigation team that successfully secured the rights of the public to the use and enjoyment of the shores of Lake Michigan. For 28 years, I appeared in Superior Court #3 several times a month every month in front of three different presiding judges. I was also frequently called upon by that Court (along with other Courts in LaPorte County) to serve as judge when the presiding judge was unavailable. More notably, I was one of the founding team members of the Veteran’s Treatment Court Program which is administered by Superior Court #3. I served as a team member until my departure from the Public Defender’s Office in 2024. It was my honor to serve in this capacity to assist those who have served our country that found themselves involved in the criminal justice system due to issues related to their military service. For many years, I was a volunteer judge with the Michigan City Teen Court Program. I also am a past board president and past board member of the Michigan City Boys &Girls Club. For the past 28 years, I have been a volunteer firefighter with the Long Beach Volunteer Fire Department, serving these past few years as Chief. I was also part of the LaPorte County Public Defender’s Office from 1998-2024. From these experiences, I have gained an appreciation for public service as well as developing leadership capabilities derived from such service. I believe a judge must have the ability to always remember that they are public servants. Everyone coming before the Court must be treated with fairness, dignity and given a full and free opportunity to be heard. With experience comes wisdom. With my 29 years of diverse experience, leadership and dedication to public serve, I believe I can continue the proud tradition as established by the prior judges to occupy the bench as your next Judge of Superior Court #3." END BIO #CandidCandidateConversations and #MeetTheCandidate spots are a chance for you, the voter, to hear from and meet people that are on the ballot.