Dickson sworn in as Indiana’s new chief justice

Longtime Indiana Supreme Court Justice Brent Dickson has been formally sworn in as the state's first new chief justice since 1987.

The 71-year-old Dickson is the longest-serving current member of the five-member Supreme Court and became the acting chief justice when Randall Shepard retired in March. He was sworn in as chief justice by Gov. Mitch Daniels during a Statehouse ceremony on Monday.

Dickson takes over a court in transition. After 10 years of no changes, the court has its third vacancy in the past two years.

Dickson was appointed to the Supreme Court in 1986 by Republican Gov. Robert Orr. He will reach the court's mandatory retirement age of 75 in July 2016, before his five-year term as chief justice ends.