Judge Salvador Vasquez

Judge Salvador Vasquez

CLEO 1988

“CLEO (University of Iowa 1988) represented the start of my law school experience. It offered great insight on what to expect during law school. The opportunity to participate in CLEO is one that has always been appreciated.”


Judge Salvador Vasquez is a Lake Superior Court judge in the criminal division appointed by Indiana Governor Frank O’Bannon in June 2003. He has since be reappointed twice and is admitted to the Indiana State Bar, the U.S. District Court, Northern District of Indiana, and the U.S. Court of Appeals, Seventh Circuit.

Judge Vasquez earned a BA in History and Political Science from Indiana University and a JD from the Indiana University School of Law in Bloomington, IN. He is a member of the American Bar Association, American Judges Association, Indiana State Bar Association, Lake County Bar Association, Lake County Hispanic Bar Association, and the Calumet American Inns of Court.

In previous positions, Judge Vasquez served as a Deputy Prosecutor for the Lake County Prosecutor’s Office, a Contract Attorney for the State of Indiana, a Public Defender in the Lake County Public Defender’s Office (Felony Division), and a private practitioner. Judge Vasquez is an At-large member of the Indiana Judicial Conference; sits on the Criminal Jury Instructions Committee and Indiana State Bar Association Hispanic Affairs Committee; a Founding Member of HOPE (Hispanic Organization Promoting Excellence); and a Board Member for Crisis Center, Inc.

Judge Vasquez is a guest lecturer and speaker for various community groups, Lake County Community Correction programming and college classes in Northwest Indiana. In April 2011, he helped establish the Lake County Community Transition Court (CTC), Lake County’s first certified county-wide problem solving court. The CTC re-entry process provides programming and supervision for incarcerated individuals coming from the Indiana Department of Corrections to assist them as they reintegrate into our community.