The Supreme Court is the pinnacle of an Indiana court system that every year sees some 1.1 million new cases filed in the trial courts of the state's 92 counties, including roughly 115,000 cases in Lake County and 25,000 in Porter County.
Hoosiers convicted of offenses ranging from speeding to murder, and losing parties in civil lawsuits, all are entitled to a review by the Indiana Court of Appeals.
But only the most significant legal questions typically win a second look by the Supreme Court's five justices.
According to the high court's recently released annual report, 704 cases were appealed to the Supreme Court between July 1, 2024, and June 30, 2025. That's down from 748 cases during the 2024 state budget year and close to the 717 cases in 2023.
Of those, the Supreme Court issued a final ruling approximately 7% of the time.
Most appeals were rejected outright. Though the court was required to rule on three direct appeals of criminal convictions punished by the death penalty or life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Among the cases accepted during the 2025 budget year, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments in 50 cases and handed down 50 opinions.
That's an increase over the 47 opinions issued in 2024 and 35 opinions in 2023, both of which were lower than usual due to the delayed impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the workload of appellate courts.
Thirty-five civil rulings made up a majority (70%) of the Supreme Court's 2025 decisions, followed by 9 criminal rulings (18%), three attorney and judicial discipline decisions (6%) and three original actions or certified questions (6%).
Unlike the often contentious U.S. Supreme Court, where 5-4 or 6-3 split decisions are common, Indiana's high court justices were mostly united in their rulings.
Unanimous decisions comprised 80% of the court's 2025 decisions, with another 12% decided 4-1 or 3-1. Just 8% of the court's opinions split 3-2.
Each justice disagreed with the majority in at least one case. Justice Christopher Goff was the most frequent dissenter by objecting to the majority in seven cases and dissenting in part in four additional cases.
Justice Mark Massa voted with the majority all but one time when he concurred with part of a ruling and dissented to another part. Every other justice penned at least two concurrences and three dissents.
The burden of writing majority opinions fell heaviest on Justice Geoffrey Slaughter, a Crown Point native, with 11. Goff and Justice Derek Molter, a Newton County native, each wrote nine, Chief Justice Loretta Rush crafted eight and Massa did six.
The court also issued seven "per curiam" opinions, unsigned unanimous rulings resolving a specific case but generally not setting an Indiana legal precedent.
Beyond the work in their Statehouse courtroom, the Supreme Court's annual report also highlights the justices' efforts — often in tandem with the governor and the General Assembly — to implement a statewide county jail management system, reduce Indiana's attorney shortage and adopt new guidelines for designated guardians of children involved in the legal system.
"Your judiciary is truly blessed to enjoy such a collaborative and collegial relationship with the executive and legislative branches of this great state," Rush said.
Rush was reappointed last year to another five-year term as Indiana's chief justice. She's served on the court since 2012 and became chief in 2014.
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