If any local judge had publicly disclosed that he or she interviewed a governor and was then appointed by that same governor to one of the most powerful positions in state government months later, many observers would undoubtedly ask questions. Those questions should not become off limits simply because the person involved is the Chief Justice of Indiana. Public trust in institutions depends on transparency and accountability. Chief Justice Rush may have a perfectly re

To many observers of Indiana's judiciary, the order raises a larger and increasingly uncomfortable question: Is Chief Justice Loretta Rush continuing to reward ideological allies and expand the influence of supporters who share her judicial philosophy? Judge Stafford is widely respected and undoubtedly qualified. This article is not a criticism of her personally. Rather, it concerns what many critics perceive as a continuing pattern under the Rush Court.