Magistrate Judge announces retirement, soon leaving vacancy in District Court of Northern Indiana

SOUTH BEND, Ind. - After nearly 20 years as a judge and 40 in public service, U.S. Magistrate Judge Michael G. Gotsch, Sr., announced his intent to retire next year, leaving a vacancy in the U.S. District Court serving the South Bend area.

Gotsch plans to retire in August of 2024.

He was appointed as a judge for the Northern District of Indiana back in 2016. Before that, Gotsch served as a St. Joseph County Circuit Court judge from 2004 to 2016. While there, Gotsch helped create the civil protective order court to protect victims of domestic violence and was on the team that designed and developed the Odyssey case management system for courts in all of Indiana’s 92 counties.

Gotsch is a decorated veteran of the United States Army and graduated from the Notre Dame Law School in 1987.

U.S. Magistrate Judges are appointed to eight-year terms and eligible for reappointment. They can retire after they reach the age of 65 and serve more than eight years in the court.