HANCOCK COUNTY — Marie Castetter has only been on the job a few days as the new judge in Hancock County Superior Court 1, but people already are lining up to unseat her in the May primary.
The Superior Court 1 campaign will be the most intriguing local race leading up to the Republican primary on May 5. The primary season kicked off when the filing period opened Wednesday, Jan. 8.
While Castetter was the person Gov. Eric Holcomb selected as the new judge after Terry Snow stepped down with one year remaining in his term, she’ll have to fight to keep the position. It will be up to voters to decide whether Castetter or someone else is best suited for the job.
In addition to Castetter, Hancock County Court Commissioner Cody Coombs and attorneys Jessica Lacy and D.J. Davis have announced they will seek the Republican nomination in the May 5 primary. All have filed preliminary paperwork to run for office. Davis was the first one to actually file his candidacy on Wednesday.
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Castetter hasn’t had much time to settle into her new role, but she said she’s focused on the task at hand.
“My first priority will be to ensure that Superior Court 1 continues to run as efficiently as it did while Judge Snow was presiding judge,” Castetter said.
The effectiveness of the court will help determine whether she is meeting its obligation and expectations of the public, Castetter noted. As far as the election, she’s proud of her experience is looking forward to conveying how it will benefit Hancock County.
“I intend on using all of my energy, motivation, determination and desire to be judge to become elected to continue serving the public in a manner our residents can be proud of,” Castetter said.
Coombs and Lacy also were candidates for the interim appointment when Holcomb chose Castetter. That outcome didn’t change their plans.
“I still believe that I am the right person for the job,” Lacy said. “I also believe that I have the right personality and disposition for the serving as a judicial officer.”
Lacy thinks her nearly two decades of experience practicing civil law, along with business and managerial experience, make her qualified to fill the role of judge for Superior Court 1.
It’s the same sentiment for Coombs, who hears cases as the commissioner. Coombs said he felt Holcomb made the wrong decision in passing over his application and that he’ll leave the outcome for the race up to county voters.
Coombs noted his time as the court commissioner the past two years gives him valuable experience.
“The more experience a judge has with the law and working with real people, the better that judge’s decisions tend to be,” Coombs said.
He also believes his 10 years of experience in family, criminal and civil litigation will serve him well in trying to convince the voters to pick him.
“No other candidate can match the overall scope and level of my experience,” he said.
Davis, who had said he didn’t intend to run for the judge’s position, said he had a sudden change of heart and is now all in.
He announced his candidacy on social media shortly after Castetter was selected to fill the rest of Snow’s term.
“The reality is you only have so many opportunities to make an impact in your community,” Davis said.
Davis also ran for Hancock County Circuit Court judge in 2018 but lost to Scott Sirk. Davis said he learned from that election and thinks he has a good chance to win this time around.
Davis noted the timing was right for him to run mainly because health issues surrounding a family member had improved, and the people he works with in his law firm and clients encouraged him to run.
Coombs said he felt all along Davis was going to run and has moved forward with his campaign expecting Davis to jump into the race.
“It’s difficult to tell in a local election how any particular candidate will affect the division of available votes, so I’m just going to put my head down and go to work,” Coombs said.
While Castetter will be trying to fend off three challengers to keep the job to which she was just appointed, Judge Dan Marshall in Hancock County Superior Court 2 so far has no opposition in his re-election bid. He confirmed this week that he will run again.
“I still love what I am doing,” Marshall said.
As of Wednesday late, no one has filed paper work to run against Marshall. Filing will remain open until 12 p.m. Friday, Feb. 7.
