Jeffrey Marchal
Recommended for Retention
Judge Jeffrey Marchal was elected for retention in November 2024. He was recommended to continue to serve on the Marion Superior Court bench by:
- Marion County Judicial Selection Committee
- Indianapolis Bar Association
Biography Courtesy of Judge Jeffrey Marchal.
The Honorable Jeffrey L. Marchal is the presiding judge of Marion Superior Court 31 and serves as the current Chair of the Criminal Division of the Superior Court. He was appointed judge in 2022 by Governor Eric J. Holcomb following the retirement of the Hon. Grant Hawkins. Judge Marchal is assigned to a major felony court where he hears felony cases from Level 5 offenses to murder.
Previously, Judge Marchal served on the Marion Superior Court as a master commissioner and a magistrate following his appointment by the Hon. Jane Magnus-Stinson in 2004. From 2004 to 2022, he served in both the Criminal and Civil Division of the Marion Superior Court. He also heard family law cases until the establishment of the Family Division in 2021.
Upon assuming office in 2022, Judge Marchal implemented changes to the weekly court schedule and case management practices of his court to address the post-pandemic case backlog. In eight months, the number of new pending cases awaiting disposition in Court 31 was reduced by over fifty percent. As a result, the average case disposition time fell from over 500 days to under 270 days.
As Chair of the Criminal Division, Judge Marchal secured changes to the Marion Superior Court bail schedule to prevent early releases of arrestees serving sentences or who have pending cases.
Judge Marchal has served on the Marion County Community Corrections Advisory Board since 2014 and is the current Vice-Chairman. The Board exercises its statutory supervisory role by approving contracts with vendors and other government agencies, overseeing grant applications to the Department of Correction, reviewing budget issues, discussing issues related to the Duvall Residential Center work release facility and recommending an applicant for the Executive Director position to the City-County Council for approval. Judge Marchal has also received appointments from the Indiana Supreme Court to several committees of the Judicial Conference of Indiana and most recently served six years on the probation committee.
Born in Indianapolis, Judge Marchal grew up in Hancock County before earning his B.A. from the University of Illinois in 1991 and the Indiana University McKinney School of Law in 1994. Prior to joining the bench, he worked as a trial attorney in private practice. Judge Marchal is a member of the Indianapolis Bar Association, the Indiana State Bar Association, and the Indiana Judges Association.
