By Joseph Slacian
jslacian@thepaperofwabash.com
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – In a morning filled with pomp and circumstance Friday, Sept. 1, Wabash County resident Christopher M. Goff became the 110th Justice on the Indiana Supreme Court.
Goff received the ceremonial oath of office from Gov. Eric Holcomb, who named him to the post in June. He then received his robe from Wabash Circuit Court Judge Robert McCallen III.
Throughout the ceremony, many heaped praise on Goff and his career, both as a lawyer in Huntington County and as Wabash Superior Court judge, a post he held for 12 years.
There were many laughs and some tears during the hour-long ceremony in the Indiana Supreme Court Chambers at the Indiana Statehouse.
Holcomb called Friday “a special day in the state’s history.”
“It’s a happy day,” he continued. “It’s a proud day. And as few have detected already, it’s an emotional day for many of us.”
Holcomb said that there are few decisions he must make as governor that have as lasting impact on the state than choosing an Indiana Supreme Court justice.
“We had a number of over-qualified candidates step forward,” the governor said. “They were people of brilliant legal minds.
“As name after name came forward, one name kept jumping to the top, and that was Christopher Goff.”
Goff will replace Justice Robert Rucker, who retired in May.
The governor said that Goff will have “big shoes to fill” as Rucker was admired in legal circles not only in Indiana, but around the country.
“So, no pressure,” Holcomb joked.
Wabash attorney Mark Guenin, representing the Wabash County Bar Association, introduced Goff to the chamber, which was filled to capacity with some 200 people, and another 100 people watching remotely from the Indiana House of Representatives chamber.
Goff “redefined the court’s role” while serving as Superior Court judge, Guenin said.
“Judge Goff envisioned more, executed more, accomplished more,” he said, noting that over time, others began to share his vision. “The results became reality. Because of him, our communities, our people, became better, became stronger.”
He noted that Goff sought advice from many in the legal system as to whether to remain in Wabash County or to seek the justice’s post.
“Governor Holcomb, in selecting Justice Goff, demonstrated the vision that our courts should see Indiana citizens as people, not as problems,” Guenin said.
By graduating from a small, rural high school, Goff has proven to other students “throughout our state, that there is a future in Indiana, and that future can be good.”
However, Guenin did jokingly note that Goff has one questionable characteristic. That is, in December, he competes in a 50K ultra-marathon along Indiana trail ways.
“Key points,” Guenin said, “(he) runs a marathon in December, 50K on trails. Please note here, in Indiana we have perfectly good roads, and they’re actually getting better. We have four seasons, so you don’t have to wait and schedule a run in December.
“And, if you noticed, Judge, the starting line of the marathon is very near the finish line. You do not have to run 30 miles to get there.”
The other four justices also spoke about the court’s newest member.
Justice Steven David, who mentored Goff during the last month, said his fellow justice “didn’t just hit the ground running. He hit the ground sprinting, and has already contributed much to the court.”
He went on to call Goff, “a small-town lawyer with a big-time commitment.”
He jokingly said that Goff has introduced to the court the sport of hockey, noting “the majority of this court does not understand hockey, nor care about hockey.”
Goff, during a brief speech following his receiving his judicial robe, praised Rucker, saying he learned much from him during law school, having taken a course presented by the now retired justice.
He thanked his family for sticking by his side during the long selection process, as well as various Wabash County officials for urging him to seek the post.
Goff also spoke highly of his wife’s father, who was born in Durango, Mexico, and became a naturalized citizen. Along the way, he noted, he worked as a migrant field worker and, at times, had to cut up pieces of tires and tie them to his feet because he couldn’t afford shoes.
However, Goff continued, that didn’t stop his father-in-law from retiring from General Motors and raising a family of 11 children, nine of whom were in the audience Friday. Also present were Goff’s wife, their children and grandchild, and his two sisters and their families.
Also present were four retired Indiana Supreme Court justices, as well as the judges from the Indiana Court of Appeals and Indiana Tax Court, as well as several federal judges.
A strong contingent of Wabash County officials also were present, prompting Indiana Chief Justice Loretta Rush to wonder how any government work was getting done in Wabash County, with most officials at the ceremony.
Before ordering the court clerk to rap the ceremony closed, Rush had one piece of advice for not only Goff, but the other three justices, as well.
“There’s just one thing left to say,” Rush said, noting there are numerous cases on the docket. “So it’s time to go back to work.”