A new United States Magistrate Judge for the Southern District of Indiana has been sworn in.
Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Indiana, Tanya Walton Pratt, announced that Crystal S. Wildeman was sworn in as United States Magistrate Judge for the Southern District of Indiana at a private ceremony on Friday, September 1st. A formal investiture ceremony will take place at a later date.
Judge Wildeman fills the vacancy created by the recent elevation of Matthew P. Brookman from Magistrate Judge to District Judge of the Southern District of Indiana. She will maintain chambers in the Evansville Division and also travel to Indianapolis to hear cases.
Born in Evansville, Judge Wildeman is a 2003 graduate of Indiana University, Bloomington, where she received Bachelor of Science and Bachelor of Arts degrees after double majoring in psychology and criminal justice with a minor in biology. In May 2006, Judge Wildeman earned her law degree from DePaul College of Law in Chicago, Illinois.
Following law school, Judge Wildeman worked at Kahn Dees Donovan & Kahn, LLP, Wooden McLaughlin LLP, which later merged into Dinsmore & Shohl LLP, and Barber & Bauer LLP. Judge Wildeman also has extensive mediation experience and is a certified, trained mediator.
United States Magistrate Judges are appointed by the Judges of the United States District Court for a term of eight years and are eligible for reappointment to successive terms. Magistrate Judges preside over many pretrial proceedings in both civil and criminal cases in federal court. Duties of the position include conducting mediation and settlement proceedings in civil cases and helping parties settle their disputes by agreement.
