Indiana Voters Retain Lake County Judges
Voters retained three Lake Superior Court judges and four Indiana appellate judges, while several Porter and LaPorte County superior court races changed hands.
Updated on Nov. 9, 2026 in Criminal Justice
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Voters in Lake County and across Indiana retained three Lake Superior Court judges and four appellate judges in the November 3, 2026 general election. In Porter and LaPorte counties, Democrats won several superior court seats, including a defeat of Porter County Superior Court 4 Judge Christopher Buckley.
Why it matters
Retention votes are the primary check voters have on Indiana's merit-selected judiciary, and the results reflect how residents view judges' records. The outcomes in Porter and LaPorte counties show that superior court races can shift partisan control of local benches.
Judge Julie Cantrell received 71% of votes for retention, and Judges John Sedia and Nicholas Schiralli each received 69%. Porter County Superior Court 4 Judge Christopher Buckley lost to Democrat Heather McCarthy, 58% to 42%, and the source does not explain the reasons for the result.
The players
Julie Cantrell
Lake Superior Court judge who received 71% of votes for retention.
Christopher Buckley
Porter County Superior Court 4 judge who was defeated by Democrat Heather McCarthy.
Heather McCarthy
Democrat who won the Porter County Superior Court 4 seat.
The details
Three Lake Superior Court judges and four Indiana appellate judges sought retention, and Indiana voters retained three Court of Appeals judges and one Tax Court judge. In LaPorte County, Democrats Michael Bergerson and James Macalka defeated Republican incumbents Jaime Oss and Kurt Earnst, while Republican Mike Fish was unopposed in Porter County Superior Court 1.
Timeline
November 3, 2026: General election held with judicial retention and superior court votes.
Legal Context
No Indiana state appellate judge has lost a retention election since Indiana adopted merit selection in 1970, which places the 2026 retentions within that long-standing pattern. Illinois, by contrast, elects its judges directly, an approach the extraction cites for comparison.
Lake County residents now have judges retained for additional terms, and Porter and LaPorte residents will see new superior court judges take office. Voters in these counties will be served by the newly elected or retained benches for the coming terms.
The takeaway
Judicial retention votes are one of the few direct ways Indiana voters can weigh in on their judges' records, so checking retention questions on the ballot matters as much as the contested races. Voters who want to understand a judge's record can review it before the next election cycle.
Further reading
Explore more Criminal Justice coverage from across Indiana.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Nwitimes.
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