Lawmakers hear status of Ind. courts

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) - On the heels of the State of the State, and the State of the City, Wednesday brings another "State of the..." speech.

Indiana's Supreme Court Chief Justice Randall Shepard delivers the " State of the Judiciary .”

Each year, the Chief Justice must update lawmakers on Indiana's court system. The event is rich with ceremony. Judges from all corners of the state converge on the Statehouse, wearing their robes, and process to the House Chambers.

The pageantry takes up some of the visitor space, so there is a special viewing area with seats and a large screen television set up on the 4th floor of the Statehouse.

Justice Shepard started his busy day on 24-Hour News 8's Daybreak.

He said court filings are up significantly this year.

"It's a product of the recession," Shepard said. "If it's bad for you and you can put a name on it, it shows up in court. Whether it's businesses that have cash flow problems suing people who have had a hard time paying their bills, or whether it's more divorces or abused or neglected children, or mortgage foreclosures -which are way up- the net result is that we had 2 million new cases filed in the last year, and that's a record."