Coombs sworn in as county magistrate

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Cody Coombs lays his hand on a Bible held by his wife, Casey, as he is sworn in as the county's magistrate. (Kristy Deer | Daily Reporter) Kristy Deer | Daily Reporter

HANCOCK COUNTY — Sitting in his office before the swearing-in ceremony, Cody Coombs was all smiles when his wife, Casey, and their two daughters, Addie and Vivi, stopped by to attend the special event in his honor. Coombs was sworn in as the county’s new magistrate during a gathering in Circuit Court Thursday afternoon, June 24.

Coombs fills a new position created by state legislators in a move to strengthen the county courts.

“We’ve been pushing so long to get a magistrate it’s almost hard to believe it’s actually finally happening,” Coombs said. “I think on July 1, I’ll probably have a different feeling.”

That’s the day when Coombs will officially start as the county’s magistrate, a job his wife said he is well-suited for.

“He’s meant for the job,” Casey Coombs said. “We’re just so proud of him.”

For Coombs, the move from court commissioner — his current position — to magistrate is an exciting one and is something he’s wanted badly for a long time, he said. After running for a judge’s seat on two previous occasions, Coombs has tried to temper his dreams of the higher role.

“I learned early in the process that I couldn’t think a lot about it or I would get too excited or too worried that something would go wrong,” Coombs said.

He first learned about the county judges’ desire to have a magistrate three years ago. So when the judges informed him he was the person they selected for the position, he was finally excited and relieved.

“But, I was still more than a month away from it being a reality,” he said. “Over the last month, I have maintained that habit of not spending a lot of time thinking about the position. However, when July 1 hits and being a magistrate is my reality, I will be very excited and very happy.”

For now, his role in the county courts will not change. He’ll continue to fill in for all three of the county’s judges, Scott Sirk, D.J. Davis and Dan Marshall. He will also oversee many of his own cases and now has the authority to sign off on paperwork without a co-signature, creating less work for the other judges. During Coombs’ time as court commissioner, his actions had to be reviewed by the judges.

“It’s just going to clear up a lot of the things we had to do on the back end,” Coombs said. “But, as far as what the public will see, it will be the same.”

Adding more responsibility to his work sits well with Coombs, who said he felt even in his role as commissioner he and the judges had confidence in his decisions.

“I can’t recall the judges questioning anything I’ve been doing,” Coombs said. “I’ve been at this level for quite a while, so I don’t think any pressure will change as far as the decisions I make at all.”

While Coombs will have more authority on the bench, he doubts anyone will notice a difference in how he approaches the job.

“I don’t think being a magistrate will affect me in any way,” Coombs said. “That’s because when I started, a court commissioner and magistrate had the same authority, both needing a co-signature on things.”

That changed when the legislature gave magistrates more authority.

On Thursday, standing inside Circuit Court, Coombs raised his right hand and placed his left hand on the Bible being held by his wife as each of the judges took turns swearing him in.

Sitting in the courtroom was one of Coombs’ mentors, former Judge Terry Snow, who teased Coombs about the beard he’s grown since he last saw him before congratulating him.

“It’s about time,” Snow said of the years spent trying to get the position approved.

In addition to Snow and the Coombs family, several of the courtroom support staff members who work with Coombs on a daily basis stopped by to show support. Many described Coombs as well-suited to be a judge saying he’s smart, authoritative and compassionate.

“He’s steady and calm,” said one of the court staff employees, Marsha Creech. “It says a lot for his maturity.”

Now that Coombs is a magistrate, it doesn’t mean he’s settled. While he’s in no hurry, Coombs said he plans to again run for a judge’s seat in the future.

“I’m not done yet,” Coombs said. “I’d like to set the policy for a court eventually. That’s something the judges do for their court. That’s the ‘judicial mantle’ that they talk about in the state statue.”

As for the magistrate’s robe, he may not always wear it. Coombs likes the Snow philosophy of only wearing a robe during jury trials. Coombs said he never wore a robe the first few years as court commissioner because he wanted to learn how to control a courtroom without it.

“Wearing the robe makes controlling the courtroom a little easier, but there will still be times where I don’t wear the robe so I don’t get out of the habit of using some of those other courtroom control skills I learned without the robe,” he said.

Coombs laughed when asked if he preferred being addressed as a magistrate or judge, and said he’s been called lots of things sitting on the bench.

“‘Your Honor’ or ‘Judge’ is fine,” he said.

 

 

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Magistrate Cody Coombs’ career highlights:

Has served as the county court commissioner since January 2018.

Former junior partner at Pritzke & Davis law firm.

Former vice president and president of the Hancock County Bar Association.

Graduated with honors from the McKinney School of Law at Indiana University in 2009.

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