Soon there will be a new face on the bench in St. Joseph County as Gov. Eric Holcomb appointed David Fransisco to be a felony judge recently.
Fransisco is a criminal defense attorney who has a practice in South Bend. He will now transition to the bench to replace longtime St. Joseph County judge John Marnocha who announced his retirement last year.
Francisco also has experience as a deputy prosecutor in Elkhart County. He attended college in California at UCLA, but moved in the early 2000s and went to Indiana University’s Maurer School of Law. In his private practice, Francisco handles a variety of criminal cases ranging from misdemeanors to murder and other serious felonies.
According to a press release, Francisco volunteers as an instructor for the John Adams High School and University of Notre Dame mock trial teams. He did not respond to an interview request from WVPE.
Though judges are elected in most counties in Indiana, state law requires a special committee to select candidates and submit them to the governor, who makes an appointment. Other finalists considered by Eric Holcomb were St. Joe County magistrates Matthew Raper and Keith Doi and prosecutors Chris Fronk and Kenneth Biggins.
Marnocha is officially set to retire on Jan. 31.
