Theresa Springmann
2021 - Present
4
Theresa Lazar Springmann is a federal judge on senior status with the United States District Court for the Northern District of Indiana. She served as chief judge from 2017 to 2020. She joined the court in 2003 after being nominated by President George W. Bush.
Springmann assumed senior status on January 23, 2021.[1]
Early life and education
Born in Gary, Indiana, Springmann graduated from Indiana University with her bachelor's in 1977, and obtained her J.D. from Notre Dame Law School in 1980.[2]
Professional career
Springmann was a law clerk for Senior Judge James T. Moody in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Indiana from 1980 to 1983. From 1984 to 1995, Springmann was a private practice attorney in the State of Indiana.[2]
Judicial career
Northern District of Indiana
On the recommendation of Senator Richard Lugar, Springmann was nominated to the United States District Court for the Northern District of Indiana by President George W. Bush on January 29, 2003, to a seat vacated by James T. Moody. Springmann was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on March 31, 2003, on a Senate vote and received commission on June 24, 2003.[2]
Noteworthy cases
Restraints on defendants in court
- See also: United States District Court for the Northern District of Indiana (JOHN M. STEPHENSON v. MARK LEVENHAGEN, 3:07-cv-00539-TLS)
- See also: United States District Court for the Northern District of Indiana (JOHN M. STEPHENSON v. MARK LEVENHAGEN, 3:07-cv-00539-TLS)
In May of 1997, John M. Stephenson received a guilty verdict and death sentence for killing three people in Warrick County, Indiana. He appealed his case to the Indiana Supreme Court on the basis of "ineffective counsel" because his attorney didn't object to him wearing a prisoner control device (a stun belt) in front of the jury that convicted him. The Supreme Court unanimously rejected his appeal. After the Indiana Supreme Court rejected Stephenson's appeal, he took it to the federal level, where Judge Springmann overturned his guilty sentence and the death penalty in a 26-page ruling. She noted, "Due process mandates that John M. Stephenson is entitled to what he was denied: a trial without restraints."[3]
The Indiana Attorney General, Greg Zoeller, said that he would appeal her order, either by asking her to reconsider or by taking it to the Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit. "The federal court's ruling this week is disappointing since we believe the Indiana Supreme Court ruled correctly when it denied Stephenson's petition for post-conviction relief on this very issue in April 2007," Zoeller said in a statement.[3]
The Seventh Circuit reversed Judge Springmann's decision, as the judges found that the question of prejudice from the stun belt required more consideration. Stephenson then requested a rehearing of his case but the judges of the Seventh Circuit voted to deny his petition.[4] Although at that time Stephenson was entitled to a new trial per Springmann's ruling, his attorneys decided to bring the issues Springmann raised about the stun belt in front of the Supreme Court. Ultimately, the Supreme Court denied a grant of certiorari to Stephenson, and declined to hear the case.[5]
See also
- United States District Court for the Northern District of Indiana
- United States Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Todd Young, U.S. Senator for Indiana, "Young and Braun Seek Applicants for Federal Judicial Appointment," November 7, 2019
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Judge Theresa Springmann's Federal Judicial Center Biography
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 WTHR, "US judge vacates verdict in Indiana triple slayings," July 2, 2009
- ↑ The Indiana Lawyer, "SCOTUS asked to take Indiana stun belt case," March 30, 2011
- ↑ The Indiana Lawyer, "SCOTUS doesn't take any Indiana cases," March 30, 2011
| Political offices | ||
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| Preceded by: James T. Moody |
Northern District of Indiana 2003–2021 Seat #1 |
Succeeded by: NA
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| 2001 |
Armijo • Bates • Beistline • Blackburn • Bowdre • Bunning • Bury • Caldwell • Camp • Cassell • Cebull • Clement • Clifton • Crane • Eagan • Engelhardt • Friot • Gibbons • Granade • Gregory • Gritzner • Haddon • Hartz • Heaton • Hicks • Howard • Johnson • Jorgenson • Krieger • Land • Leon • Mahan • Martinez • Martone • McConnell • Melloy • Mills • O'Brien • Parker • Payne • Prost • Reeves • Riley • Robinson • Rogers • Royal • Shedd • B. Smith • L. Smith • Walton • Wooten • Zainey | ||
| 2002 |
Africk • Anderson • Autrey • Baylson • Cercone • Chesler • Clark • Collyer • Conner • Conti • Corrigan • Davis • Davis • Dorr • England • Ericksen • Fuller • Gardner • Godbey • Griesbach • Hanen • Hovland • Hudson • Jones • Jordan • Kinkeade • Klausner • Kugler • Leighton • Linares • Moses • Marra • Martinez • Martini • Mays • McVerry • Phillips • Raggi • Reade • Rose • Rufe • Savage • Schwab • Smith • St. Eve • Walter • White • Wolfson | ||
| 2003 |
Adams • Altonaga • Bea • Benitez • Bennett • Boyle • Brack • Breen • Browning • Burns • Bybee • Callahan • Campbell • Cardone • Carney • Castel • Chertoff • Cohn • Colloton • Conrad • Coogler • Cook • Cooke • Crone • Der-Yeghiayan • Drell • Duffey • Duncan • Erickson • Feuerstein • Figa • Filip • Fischer • Fisher • Flanagan • Floyd • Frost • Gibson • Greer • Gruender • Guirola • Hall • Hardiman • Hayes • Herrera • Hicks • Holmes • Holwell • Hopkins • Houston • Irizarry • Jones • Junell • Karas • Kravitz • Martinez • McKnight • Minaldi • Montalvo • Mosman • Otero • Pickering • Prado • Pratter • Proctor • Quarles • Robart • Roberts • Robinson • Rodgers • Rodriguez • Sabraw • Sanchez • Saylor • Selna • Sharpe • Simon • Springmann • Stanceu • Steele • Stengel • Suko • Sutton • Sykes • Titus • Townes • Tymkovich • Van Antwerpen • Varlan • Wake • Wesley • White • Woodcock • Yeakel | ||
| 2004 |
Alvarez • Benton • Boyko • Covington • Diamond • Harwell • Kelley • Schiavelli • Schneider • Starrett • Watson | ||
| 2005 |
Alito • Barrett • Batten • Bianco • Brown • Burgess • Conrad • Cox • Crotty • Delgado-Colon • Dever • DuBose • Griffin • Griffith • Johnston • Kendall • Larson • Ludington • Mattice • McKeague • Neilson • Owen • Pryor • Roberts • Sandoval • Schiltz • Seabright • Smoak • Van Tatenhove • Vitaliano • Watkins • Zouhary | ||
| 2006 |
Besosa • Bumb • Chagares • Cogan • Gelpi • Golden • Gordon • Gorsuch • Guilford • Hillman • Holmes • Ikuta • D. Jordan • K. Jordan • Kavanaugh • Miller • Moore • Shepherd • Sheridan • Smith • Whitney • Wigenton | ||
| 2007 |
Anderson • Aycock • Bailey • Bryant • Davis • DeGiusti • Dow • Elrod • Fairbank • Fischer • Frizzell • Gutierrez • Hall • Hardiman • Haynes • Howard • Jarvey • Jones • Jonker • Kapala • Kays • Laplante • Limbaugh • Lioi • Livingston • Maloney • Mauskopf • Mendez • Miller • Neff • O'Connor • O'Grady • O'Neill • Osteen • Ozerden • Reidinger • Sammartino • Schroeder • Settle • Smith • Snow • Southwick • Suddaby • Sullivan • Thapar • Tinder • Van Bokkelen • Wood • Wright • Wu | ||
| 2008 |
Agee • Anello • Arguello • Brimmer • Gardephe • Goldberg • Jones • Kethledge • Lawrence • Matsumoto • Melgren • Murphy • Scriven • Seibel • Slomsky • Trenga • Waddoups • White | ||
Federal courts:
Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals • U.S. District Court: Northern District of Indiana, Southern District of Indiana • U.S. Bankruptcy Court: Northern District of Indiana, Southern District of Indiana
State courts:
Indiana Supreme Court • Indiana Court of Appeals • Indiana Superior Courts • Indiana Circuit Courts • Indiana City Courts • Indiana County Courts • Indiana Municipal Courts • Indiana Small Claims Courts • St. Joseph County Probate Court • Indiana Tax Court • Indiana Town Courts
State resources:
Courts in Indiana • Indiana judicial elections • Judicial selection in Indiana