Mitchell mingled with the lawyers and judges he says helped him get to the position he retired from during a reception. His final day on the job was Wednesday after announcing he was stepping down in November.
     Mitchell says improvements have been made to the courtroom since he was appointed to the 7th Circuit bench in 2002.
     “We started the drug court in 2005. We were the first one in the circuit to have it. I think it’s a good program; it’s small for our county, but it’s a good idea and we’ve had some success with that, helping some people. And when we help people where they don’t commit crimes, that helps the community too,” says Mitchell.
     “I think we managed to process the cases in a timely fashion. Hopefully we’ve got everything pretty current for the new judge coming in, and he won’t be overwhelmed with work.”
     Mitchell sat through 14 murder cases in his tenure, which he considers a “highly unusual” amount. On the civil side, he notes that he saw eight asbestos cases.
     Mitchell plans on visiting some family and friends in the next few months, as well as playing lots of golf. He says he may pursue other career options in the future.