Superior Court II

he Indiana Constitution directs that the State be divided into several circuits by the General Assembly. Of the 92 counties in Indiana, 88 have circuit courts. The remaining four counties are divided into joint circuit courts of two counties each. There are just over 100 circuit court judges in the State of Indiana.

The circuit courts are vested with unlimited trial jurisdiction in all cases, except where exclusive or concurrent jurisdiction is conferred upon other courts.

Superior courts are created by statutes enacted by the General Assembly. Though their jurisdiction may vary from county to county, for the most part they are courts of general jurisdiction. There are approximately just over 200 Superior Courts in the State of Indiana.

 City and Town courts may be created by local ordinance. Their jurisdiction is very limited, usually limited to city ordinance violations, infractions and misdemeanors. Boone County has five City and Town courts, located in Zionsville, Jamestown, Whitestown, Lebanon and Thorntown.

Judge Bruce E. Petit is the presiding Judge of Boone Superior Court II. He graduated From Purdue University in 1978 and I.U. McKinney School of Law in 1982. Judge Petit was elected in 2014 and took office in 2015. Boone County Superior Court II has criminal, civil, small claims, and traffic infraction jurisdiction in Boone County. Civil cases may be filed in the Circuit Court, Superior Court I or Superior Court II at the discretion of the filing party. Small claims cases may only be filed in Superior Court II. Criminal cases are filed in all three (3) Courts pursuant to a Local Rule approved by the Indiana Supreme Court. The Boone County Circuit Court has exclusive jurisdiction of all juvenile matters (paternity, children in need of services, juvenile delinquency and status cases). Boone County Superior Court I has exclusive jurisdiction over probate cases (estates, guardianships and adoptions). Boone County Superior Court II has exclusive jurisdiction over small claims cases. All three (3) Courts have developed critical expertise in their respective subject matter jurisdiction. Judge Lori Schein is the Judge of Boone County Circuit Court and Judge Matthew C. Kincaid is the Judge of Boone County Superior Court I.