Christina Gull Wins Allen Superior Court Judge Race
Gull, a prosecutor and daughter of retiring judge Fran Gull, will take her mother's seat on the bench.
Updated on Nov. 4, 2026 in Elections
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Christina Gull won the Allen Superior Court judge election with 47.2% of the vote, defeating Allen Superior Court Magistrate Judge Samuel Keirns and Allen Circuit Court Magistrate Judge Jesus "Rick" Treviño. She will succeed her mother, Judge Fran Gull, who announced in January 2026 that she would not seek re-election.
Why it matters
The race was decided in Fort Wayne's home county, and the seat passes from a judge who served nearly 30 years to her daughter, keeping the court in the same family. Gull was suspended from the Allen County Prosecutor's Office earlier in 2026, which adds context to her candidacy.
Gull won with 47.2% of the vote in a three-way contest. The extraction does not provide the vote margins of the other candidates or the outcome of her suspension from the prosecutor's office.
The players
Christina Gull
A Fort Wayne attorney and former prosecutor who won the Allen Superior Court judgeship and previously tried the 2017 Delphi teen murder case.
Fran Gull
The retiring Allen Superior Court judge who has served on the bench since January 1, 1997, and who received the G. Munsterman Award in 2015.
Samuel Keirns
An Allen Superior Court magistrate judge who was defeated by Christina Gull in the judicial race.
Jesus "Rick" Treviño
An Allen Circuit Court magistrate judge who was defeated by Christina Gull in the judicial race.
The details
Gull, who graduated from Concordia Lutheran High School in 2004, earned a bachelor's degree from IPFW in 2008 and a law degree from Thomas M. Cooley Law School in 2011. She has worked for the Allen County Prosecutor's Office and previously held prosecutor posts in Marion, Clinton and Hamilton counties.
Timeline
January 2026: Fran Gull announces she will not seek re-election.
Early 2026: Christina Gull is suspended from the Allen County Prosecutor's Office.
November 3, 2026: Christina Gull wins the election.
Political Context
Opponents Keirns and Treviño were both sitting magistrates, so the race pitted two court insiders against a prosecutor with a recent suspension. The outcome places a judge's daughter directly into the seat her mother held for nearly three decades.
For Allen County voters, the result changes who presides over Superior Court in the coming term, shifting a judgeship held by one family to a new judge. The outcome affects which court handles local civil and criminal matters going forward.
The takeaway
A judicial seat that stays within one family for decades can shape a local court for a generation, so voters paying attention to judicial races get a direct say in who decides cases. Checking a candidate's full professional record, including any suspensions, helps voters judge a judicial nominee.
Further reading
For more on how local judges reach the bench, see Fort Wayne Elections.
Source note: This article includes information reported by 21alivenews.
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