(La Porte, IN) - The soon to be 22nd judge in the history of La Porte Circuit Court established in 1851 took the oath of office in a packed courtroom on Friday. Julianne Havens was sworn in by outgoing La Porte Circuit Court Judge Tom Alevizos and former La Porte Superior Court 1 Judge Kathleen Lang.
Havens, who has spent much of her career as a La Porte County Deputy Prosecutor, thanked members of her family along with some of her past and present colleagues in the legal profession following the swearing in ceremony.
“I’m truly blessed to be here and humbled by everyone who is here,” Havens said.
She also gave thanks to some of the attorneys she went up against in past criminal trials by forcing her to think of ways to overcome the challenges they posed in defense of their clients.
“Thank you for making me a better attorney,” she said.
Havens was unopposed in the November 
general election after defeating her Republican opponents in the May primary. Alevizos did not seek a fourth consecutive six year term.
He was a city Councilman in Michigan City before serving three terms as a State Representative from 1992 to 1998. He was later a deputy prosecutor in La Porte County for several years before elected to his first term as judge.
Alevizos, 63, cited his age and desire to spend more time with his three children, who are 14, 15, and 20, for deciding not to run again for reelection. Alevizos said he did not want to risk being forced to step down midway through another term from an unexpected downturn in his health and having the state appoint his replacement.
“I wanted the people of La Porte County to decide who my successor was. I think it all worked out great. I’m very happy,” he said.
Alevizos said among the highlights of his career was having a role in creating three different problem solving courts. Two of those courts are designed to help people whose crimes stem from things like substance abuse and mental illness. The other problem solving court is aimed at reuniting families by the assistance provided to try and stop child abuse in the home.
Alevizos said one of the things he enjoyed most about the job was interacting with jurors and discovering how they learned to appreciate the criminal justice system from what they experienced in the courtroom.
As a judge, Alevizos said he wants to be remembered mostly as “fair and knowledgeable.”
Atley Price, who has tried many criminal cases in his over 20 years as a Deputy Prosecutor in La Porte County, said not only was Alevizos “very schooled” and “very knowledgeable” about the law. Price said he was also was very compassionate toward victims. He said Alevizos also had a heart for offenders whose first brush with the law stemmed from circumstances like substance abuse, family problems or financial hardship.
Unlike most judges, Price said Alevizos reached out as an advisor outside the courtroom for prosecutors he felt might not be taking the most effective approach in trying to prove a criminal case during a trial.
“It was almost like it was that lawyer in him. A lot of times, he was right,” he said.
Alevizos came across as a common man in the way he acted and spoke many times inside and outside the courtroom. He was personable and not short of a joke if he felt the situation was right to lighten the mood.
“He has a great sense of humor. He could laugh and he could laugh at himself,” said attorney Dave Sirugo, who mostly went before the judge in defending suspected criminals.
There was no mistaking who was in charge, though, and respected for what seemed to be a photographic memory of the law.
Alevizos was also known for giving offenders a stern lecture or tongue lashing whenever he felt it was needed at sentencing especially in the most extreme cases.
“He certainly left his footprint and will be long remembered,” Price said.
Havens officially begins her duties on January 1st.
