Announcement: Former Supreme Court technology chief enters race for Carmel City Judge

Kurt Snyder, Indiana’s first-ever Director of Trial Court Technology for the Indiana Supreme Court, has entered the race to be the next judge of the Carmel City Court in the May 3 Republican primary election.

If elected, Snyder will modernize the court to save taxpayer dollars and better serve the customer service and public safety needs of the people of Carmel. 

“Carmel taxpayers expect their government to be responsive and efficient, while at the same time, doing everything it can to hold down costs and save public dollars, “ Snyder said.  “I am excited about the opportunity to use technology to modernize the Carmel City Court and make it a  model of effective service.”

While at the Supreme Court, Snyder managed a multi-million dollar budget and was a key innovator in improving court technology statewide, including:

• Bringing Internet access and email to judges statewide;
• Offering free computer training and online legal research access to all judicial employees; and
• Coordinating the judiciary’s efforts to use technology to make the court system more efficient and responsive.

As a result of his groundbreaking work, the Court’s website was recognized as the best in the world by the National Center for State Courts.

Snyder also was named as one of Government Technology Magazine's "Top 25: Doers, Dreamers and Drivers," awarded annually by the nation's leading government technology publication to the top technology minds in American government. 

Snyder formerly worked for the American Bar Association (ABA), where he worked in the ABA division on legal education, bar admission and law school accreditation.  In less than two years, he took the division’s Internet presence from a single web page to the most visited website on the ABA Network.  He also was the driving force behind the creation of the leading source of law school information available to consumers.

Snyder currently owns and operates a legal practice and legal consulting firm in Carmel.  He has taught business law and computer classes at Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business and has edited several books on law schools and bar admission, including the Dummies Guide to Law School and the ABA Official Guide to Approved Law Schools, which is generally considered the most comprehensive and authoritative guide to law schools.

He is a graduate of Wabash College and the Indiana University School of Law - Indianapolis.  During law school, Snyder worked for the Indiana Attorney General, the U.S. Bankruptcy Court and Golden Rule Insurance.

In 2003, he was honored as one of the "Forty Under 40", awarded annually by the Indianapolis Business Journal to outstanding young business, government and community leaders in Central Indiana.

Kurt and his wife Debbie have two children, both of whom attend Forest Dale Elementary.