William Nelson
Recommended for Retention
Judge William Nelson 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 and Photo Courtesy of Judge William Nelson.
William J. Nelson was first elected Judge in Marion County in 1994. After serving six years as the Warren Township Small Claims Court Judge, he currently presides in the Marion Superior Court, Criminal Division 18. Prior to assuming the Superior Court bench, he maintained a private law practice for 16 years, focusing on general practice, litigation, and criminal defense.
Prior to his private practice, Bill worked in the Marion County Prosecutor’s office as a legal intern, paralegal and deputy prosecutor. He is also a former police officer, a former Adjunct professor at Indiana University and Ivy Tech Community College, teaching Criminal Law and Criminal Justice courses.
He is very active in the Indianapolis Bar Association including previous service on the Board of Directors and as Vice President. Judge Nelson has had the distinct honor of being a two-time recipient of the Indianapolis Bar Association President’s Award for outstanding and unique service to the Bar and is a past recipient of the Indiana Judges Association’s Excellence in Public Information and Education Award. He is a frequent Continuing Legal Education program presenter for the Indianapolis Bar Association, Indiana State Bar Association, and the Indiana Continuing Legal Education Forum.
He is a graduate of the Judicial Conference of Indiana’s Indiana Judicial College and Graduate Program for Judges. While in office, Bill has served on the Criminal Benchbook Committee and the Community Relations Committee of the Indiana Office of Court Services. He is also a Distinguished Life Fellow of the Indianapolis Bar Foundation. Other Professional Associations include the American Bar Association, Indiana State Bar Association, Marion County Bar Association, Indiana Judge’s Association, American Judicature Society and the Bar of the United States Supreme Court.
Most recently, Judge Nelson has become a community advocate against drug and alcohol abuse and has served as President of Drug Free Marion County and is active with CADCA (Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America). He has received several certifications in the substance abuse field from The National Judicial College, including Impaired Driving, Drugged Driving, and Co-occurring mental and substance abuse disorders. Judge Nelson received his B.A. (1981) and J.D. (1984) Degrees from Indiana University, and is a graduate of the Indiana Law Enforcement Academy.
