INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Gov. Mike Pence has named Indianapolis attorney Geoffrey Slaughter to the Indiana Supreme Court.

Pence announced Monday he had chosen Slaughter from among three finalists selected in March by the state’s Judicial Nominating Commission.

Slaughter’s appointment fills a vacancy on the five-member court and is Pence’s first appointment to the court.

The 53-year-old Slaughter succeeds former Justice Brent Dickson, who retired last month before he reached the mandatory retirement age of 75 in July.

Twenty-nine people applied for a chance to replace Dickson. The commission chose 15 semifinalists before selecting as finalists Slaughter, St. Joseph Superior Judge Steven Hostetler and Boone Superior Court Judge Matthew Kincaid.

Slaughter was a finalist for the state Supreme Court in 2012, when then-Gov. Mitch Daniels tapped Loretta Rush for the bench.