Feb. 1, 2010
Judicial Panel Accepting Applications to Fill Cuyahoga County Domestic Relations, Licking County Common Pleas Courts Vacancies
The Ohio Judicial Appointments Recommendation Panel (OJARP) will accept applications to fill vacant seats on the Cuyahoga County Domestic Relations Court until 5 p.m. Feb. 23 and on the Licking County Common Pleas Court until 5 p.m. March 8.
Both seats became vacant on Dec. 31, 2009 due to the retirements of Judge Timothy F. Flanagan in Cuyahoga County and Judge Jon R. Spahr in Licking County.
Applicants for the positions must be residents and registered electors of Cuyahoga County or Licking County, respectively, and not yet 70 years old on the day they begin their duties, as dictated by Ohio law. In addition, they must be admitted to practice law in Ohio and have maintained their law license for six years before assuming the judicial post or served as a judge of a court of record in any jurisdiction in the United States.
To continue service in the positions, the appointees must run in the November 2010 general election. All applicants are encouraged to submit completed Declarations of Candidacy to their respective county Boards of Election by the Feb. 18, 2010 deadline.
To apply for any judicial vacancy, applicants must follow the guidelines set forth by the OJARP to ensure their eligibility for appointment.
Applications must be submitted directly to the judicial panel and will then be distributed to the at-large and regional panel members. Additional details about OJARP and the application process can be found on the OJARP Web site at www.ojarp.org.
All materials submitted by applicants for a judicial vacancy will be considered public record under Ohio law. Applicant communication with panel members must be directed to the entire panel; all attempts to contact or influence a panel member are prohibited. Applicant questions and concerns should be addressed to Kent Markus or Jeff Ruppert in the Governor’s Office at 614.466.3555.
Candidates for the Cuyahoga County Domestic Relations Court must be available to interview in person on March 5 in Columbus. Individual candidate times and interview locations will be determined at a later date.
Candidates for Licking County Common Pleas Court must be available to interview on March 26 in Columbus. Individual candidate times and interview locations will be determined at a later date.
Gov. Ted Strickland has selected the following individuals to serve on the regional panel for the Cuyahoga County vacancy:
James S. Cahn, senior partner, Hermann, Cahn & Schneider, LLP
Sharon Sobel Jordan, president and chief executive officer, Center for Families and Children
Vanessa Whiting, partner, Roetzel & Andress LPA
Matt Zone, councilman, Ward 15, Cleveland City Council
Quentin McCorvey, senior vice president for corporate diversity strategies and programs, Key Bank Corporation
Joyce Goldstein, founder and partner, Goldstein Gragel LLC
At-large panel members:
Marianna Brown Bettman (chair), professor, University of Cincinnati College of Law;
former judge, First District Court of Appeals
Joy Malek Oldfield, partner at Hill Hardman Oldfield, LLC
John Kulewicz, partner, Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease, LLP
Isabel Framer, interpreter, former chair of the Board of Directors of the National
Betty Davis, president, Community Concepts, Inc.
Gov. Strickland has selected the following individuals to serve on the regional panel for the Licking County vacancy:
Anthony Lisska, professor of philosophy, Denison University
Wendy Williams, executive director, Community Mental Health and Recovery Board of Licking and Knox Counties
Rob Drake, partner, Reis Pyle Drake & Meyer, LLP
Paddy Kutz, executive director, Mental Health America
Scott Turguson, attorney, Southeastern Ohio Legal Services
Bonnie Bell Clark, retired administrator, Newark City Schools
At-large panel members:
Janet E. Jackson (chair), president and CEO of United Way of Central Ohio
Doloris Learmonth, partner, Peck Shaffer and Williams LLP
Meg Flack. Ph.D., president, Ohio League of Women Voters
Joy Malek Oldfield, partner at Hill Hardman Oldfield, LLC
Mike Miller, of counsel, Kegler, Brown Hill and Ritter; former Franklin County Prosecuting Attorney