Barbara Brugnaux became the first woman to serve as a judge in Vigo County, Indiana, when she was appointed to the bench by the Indiana Supreme Court in February 1994. With her election to a full term in November of 1996, she became the first woman to be elected judge in the county.
She earned her bachelor’s degree in journalism from Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College in 1970 and went on to earn her master’s degree in journalism from The Ohio State University. She earned her degree in law from Indiana University – Bloomington. Judge Brugnaux is a graduate of the Indiana Judicial College and the Indiana Graduate Program for Judges. Before assuming the bench, she had a private law practice and served as a deputy prosecutor.