Richard M. Givan (1921–2009) served as the 96th Justice of the

Indiana Supreme Court The Indiana Supreme Court, established by Article 7 of the Indiana Constitution, is the highest judicial authority in the state of Indiana. Located in Indianapolis, Indiana, Indianapolis, the Court's chambers are in the north wing of the Indiana ...

from January 6, 1969, until his retirement December 31, 1994. He served as chief justice from 1974 until March 1987.

Early life

Givan was born June 7, 1921, in

Indianapolis Indianapolis (), colloquially known as Indy, is the state capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the seat of Marion County. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the consolidated population of Indianapolis and Marion ...

. He graduated from Decatur Central High School in Indianapolis in 1939. He received an LL.B. from

Indiana University Indiana University (IU) is a system of public universities in the U.S. state of Indiana. Campuses Indiana University has two core campuses, five regional campuses, and two regional centers under the administration of IUPUI. *Indiana Universit ...

in 1951, and was admitted to the Indiana bar in 1952. While he was a law student, he was assistant librarian for the Indiana Supreme Court in 1949, and then became a research assistant for the Indiana Supreme Court. He was appointed deputy

public defender A public defender is a lawyer appointed to represent people who otherwise cannot reasonably afford to hire a lawyer to defend themselves in a trial. Several countries provide people with public defenders, including the UK, Hungary and Singapore, ...

of Indiana after graduation from law school and served in that post until 1954.

Career

From 1954 to 1966, he was Assistant Attorney General of Indiana, pleading cases before both the Indiana and

Supreme Court A supreme court is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts in most legal jurisdictions. Other descriptions for such courts include court of last resort, apex court, and high (or final) court of appeal. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...

s. In 1967, he was a representative and ranking member of the Judiciary Committee in the Indiana Legislature. He was elected to the Indiana Supreme Court in 1968 and served continuously until his retirement in December 1994. He was also chairman of the Board of Directors of the Indiana Judicial Conference from 1974 to 1987, served on the Board of Managers of the Indiana Judges Association from 1975 to 1987, and became an Indiana Judicial College Graduate in 1989. In addition to his legal career, Givan served as a pilot in the U.S.

United States Army Air Forces The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War II ...

during World War II and was later a flight instructor with the Air Forces Reservists.

Controversy

In 1984, a group known as "Remember Baby Doe - Retire Judge Givan Committee" sought to ouster Givan from his position as Chief Justice after the Indiana Supreme Court refused to hear a case regarding the death of an infant with

Down syndrome Down syndrome or Down's syndrome, also known as trisomy 21, is a genetic disorder caused by the presence of all or part of a third copy of chromosome 21. It is usually associated with physical growth delays, mild to moderate intellectual dis ...

. The group placed several advertisements in Indiana newspapers and asked voters to oppose Givan in the November 6 election. Givan denied claims that the decision established "quality of life" as a judicial criterion. Givan explained that the Supreme Court was only asked to determine if the original court had jurisdiction over the matter.

Death

Richard Givan died on July 21, 2009, in

Plainfield, Indiana Plainfield is a town in Guilford, Liberty, and Washington townships, Hendricks County, Indiana, United States. The population was 27,631 at the 2010 census, and in 2019 the estimated population was 35,287. History In 1822 a tract of land whic ...

. On July 23, 2009, Indiana Governor

Mitch Daniels Mitchell Elias Daniels Jr. (born April 7, 1949) is an American academic administrator, businessman, author, and retired politician. A Republican, Daniels served as the 49th governor of Indiana from 2005 to 2013. Since 2013, Daniels has been pr ...

ordered all flags at the Statehouse and across the state be flown at

half-mast Half-mast or half-staff (American English) refers to a flag flying below the summit of a ship mast, a pole on land, or a pole on a building. In many countries this is seen as a symbol of respect, mourning, distress, or, in some cases, a salu ...

as a tribute to Chief Justice Givan. The flags were to remain at half-mast through July 28, 2009, the date of Givan's funeral.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Givan, Richard M. 1921 births 2009 deaths Politicians from Indianapolis Members of the Indiana House of Representatives Chief Justices of the Indiana Supreme Court United States Army Air Forces officers United States Army Air Forces pilots of World War II 20th-century American judges 20th-century American politicians