Program History

chief justice shepardThe Academy is named after Randall T. Shepard, Chief Justice of the Indiana Supreme Court (ret.) and a Harrison High School alumnus. Chief Justice Shepard provides assistance in the planning and implementation of the program.

Justice Shepard is a graduate of Princeton University, as well as Yale Law School. He earned a Master of Laws degree in the judicial process from the University of Virginia.

Shepard served as executive assistant to Mayor Russell Lloyd of Evansville and as special assistant to the Under Secretary of the U.S. Department of Transportation. He was also Judge of the Vanderburgh Superior Court from 1980 until his appointment to the Indiana Supreme Court by Governor Robert D. Orr in 1985 at the age of 38. He became Chief Justice of Indiana in March 1987.

Justice Shepard has served his community and profession in several other capacities as well. He has been Trustee of the National Trust for Historic Preservation and served as chair of the ABA Appellate Judges Conference and of the Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar. He has also served as President of the National Conference of Chief Justices. Shepard has been appointed by Chief Justice John Roberts to the U.S. Judicial Conference Advisory Committee on Civil Rules.

In March of 2012, Justice Shepard retired from the Indiana Supreme Court. He personally invited the students of the Shepard Academy to attend the ceremony.

Chief Justice Shepard is married with one daughter and teaches periodically at the law schools of both NYU and Yale.

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