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Madison Co. judge named to IN Court of Appeals

The Honorable Rudolph "Rudy" Pyle, a circuit court judge, will replace outgoing Judge Carr Darden.  Governor Mitch Daniels appointed the former deputy prosecutor to the circuit court in 2009.  Daniels says it’s the first time in state history a former state trooper has sat on either the state Appeals or Supreme Court.

Pyle says being a former state trooper gives him an additional perspective on the bench.

“The law enforcement officers cannot say that I don’t know what they’ve been through but on the same side they also know that I’m expecting them to live up to their professional obligations when they bring cases to court.”

Pyle, 42, of Anderson, has served on the Madison Circuit Court, Division I since October 2009. As presiding judge, he managed a docket that encompassed both criminal and civil cases. He was a law clerk for Judge Darden and says it’s a special honor to take over for someone he calls his mentor.

“It is not every day that you get to walk in the footsteps of your mentor and so it is also an additional honor for me to succeed Judge Carr Darden.”

Pyle will serve on the Indiana Court of Appeals for the Fourth District.

Before joining the Madison Circuit Court bench, Pyle was a deputy prosecutor in Madison County. He was a trooper with the Indiana State Police, where he was a member of the tactical intervention platoon. He is an adjunct professor at Anderson University and is on the board of managers of the Indiana Judges Association.

Pyle earned his undergraduate degree from Anderson University, a master’s degree from the College of William & Mary and his law degree from Indiana University.

Brandon Smith is excited to be working for public radio in Indiana. He has previously worked in public radio as a reporter and anchor in mid-Missouri for KBIA Radio out of Columbia. Prior to that, he worked for WSPY Radio in Plano, Illinois as a show host, reporter, producer and anchor. His first job in radio was in another state capitol, in Jefferson City, Missouri, as a reporter for three radio stations around Missouri. Brandon graduated from the University of Missouri-Columbia with a Bachelor of Journalism in 2010, with minors in political science and history. He was born and raised in Chicago.