Federal Justice in Indiana: The History of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Indiana

Since Indiana's inception as a territory under the Northwest Ordinance, the federal courts held here over the last two centuries have played an important and distinguished role in both local and national legal history. From its earliest days as a territorial court to the District Court's current composition, the people and places central to the conduct of the court's business are placed into the wider context of Indiana and American history. Authors George W. Geib and Donald B. Kite Sr. provide the reader with an understanding of both the organizational structure of the court as well as glimpses into the cases, both great and small, which have come before it. The discussions on the court's structure allows for insight into the selection and appointment of judges, contextualizes the constitutional basis of the court's authority, and makes the politics and administration of federal justice in Indiana comprehensible.