Indiana Criminal Law & Procedure with Forms

Christopher M. Goff has spent over twenty-five years working at all levels of Indiana’s criminal justice system. He currently serves as an Associate Justice of the Indiana Supreme Court, having been appointed by Governor Eric Holcomb in 2017. He previously served, from 2005 to 2017, as Judge of the Wabash Superior Court. He began his legal career as a general practitioner in Huntington County where he served as a contract public defender from 2003-2005, representing one-third of the county’s indigent defendants. Justice Goff has worked to improve the justice system throughout his career. During his time as a practitioner, he served as President of the Huntington County Police Merit Board, worked to establish the Huntington County CASA Program, and was twice recognized as Huntington County Pro Bono Attorney of the Year. As a trial Judge, he established three certified problem-solving courts in Wabash County and was appointed, by the Chief Justice of Indiana, to serve as Chair of the Protection Order Committee of the Indiana Judicial Conference. Justice Goff currently serves as Secretary of the Appellate Judges Conference of the American Bar Association’s Judicial Division, was appointed to serve on the National Judicial Task Force to Examine State Court Response to Mental Illness by the Conference of Chief Justices, and serves as Chair of the Indiana Justice Reinvestment Advisory Council. Justice Goff’s work to improve the justice system has been recognized by several institutions. In 2018, he received the Bowen Center’s Otis R. Bowen Centennial Award for working to establish a culture of mental health in Northeast Indiana. In 2020, he received Indiana University’s Bicentennial Medal for distinguished service, an honorary Doctor of Laws from Indiana Wesleyan University for working to improve Indiana’s behavioral healthcare for justice-involved persons, he was named one of Ball State University’s Top 50 Graduates of Distinction, and he was recognized by the Indiana Sheriff’s Association for leadership in continuing justice services during the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2023, Justice Goff was named a Fellow of the American Bar Foundation. Justice Goff earned his B.A. from Ball State University, graduating summa cum laude, in 1994. He earned his J.D. from the Indiana University Maurer School of Law in 1996. He is currently an LLM candidate at Duke University School of Law. Justice Goff also serves as an adjunct professor of law at the Indiana University McKinney School of Law, where he developed a course and teaches on problem-solving courts.