Sarah Evans
Barker was appointed judge of the United States District Court,
Southern District of Indiana, in March 1984 and served as chief
judge between 1994 and 2001. Prior to her appointment, Judge Barker
was United States Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana and,
earlier, both an associate and partner at the Indianapolis law firm
of Bose, McKinney & Evans. She started her legal career in
Indianapolis as an assistant United States Attorney, and prior to
that she served as legislative assistant to Senator Charles H. Percy
in Washington, D.C., and special counsel to the Senate Government
Operations Subcommittee.
Active
throughout her career in judicial and bar-related organizations,
Judge Barker currently serves as president of the 900-member Federal
Judges Association. In 2004, she was appointed by Chief Justice
William H. Rehnquist to serve on the Special Study Committee on
Judicial Conduct and Disability (the "Breyer Committee"). Judge
Barker has previously served as a member of the Judicial Conference
of the United States, its Executive Committee, Long Range Planning
Committee, Standing Rules Committee, Budget Committee and,
currently, the Judicial Branch Committee (ex-officio). She has also
served on a variety of 7th Circuit committees and has been a member
and officer of several bar associations.
Judge Barker
is active in numerous civic, educational, cultural and religious
organizations, including the Board of Directors of Clarian Health
Partners, Inc., the Board of the Indiana Historical Society, and the
Advisory Board for the Spirit and Place Civic Festival. She has
previously served on several boards of trustees for Indiana academic
institutions, of the Connor Prairie Museum and advisory boards of
Indiana University and its law schools, including participation on
search committees for law school deans, an Indiana University
chancellor and presidents. She is a member of the Indiana Academy, a
recipient of the Trailblazer Award given by the Indiana Commission
for Women, and a Distinguished Alumna of Indiana University. In
addition, she has been awarded ten honorary degrees from Midwestern
colleges and universities. Judge Barker is a member of the Downtown
Kiwanis Club of Indianapolis, the Lawyers Club, and the Gathering.
Judge Barker
was born in Northern Indiana, and is a graduate of Indiana
University and the American University School of Law. She is married
and has both children and grandchildren.