June 9, 2009
Judicial Panel Accepting Applications to Fill Vacancy on Warren County Common Pleas Court
Applications to fill a vacancy on the Warren County Common Pleas Court are due by 5 p.m. July 16 to the Ohio Judicial Appointments Recommendation Panel (OJARP). The seat became vacant due to the death of Judge James Heath on May 24.
Applicants for the position must be a Warren County resident and registered elector 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 position, the appointee must run in the November 2010 general election. Candidates must be available to interview in person on Aug. 14 in Columbus. Individual candidate times and interview locations will be determined at a later date.
In the case of all judicial vacancies, applicants must follow the guidelines set forth by 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 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.
Gov. Ted Strickland has selected the following individuals to serve on the regional panel for the current Warren County vacancy:
- Ben Swift, attorney, Law Offices of Ben Swift
- Dean Whitaker, certified public accountant and partner, Mowery, Newkirk, Whitaker & Co.
- Janese Griffin, teacher, Carlisle Local Schools; negotiator and building representative Carlisle Teacher’s Association
- Ellen Rittgers, partner, Rittgers & Rittgers
- James D. Smith, mayor, City of South Lebanon; international representative, International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAMAW)
- Eric Peters, retired magistrate, Warren County Juvenile Court
At-large panel members include:
- Marianna Brown Bettman (chair), professor, University of Cincinnati College of Law; former judge, First District Court of Appeals.
- Doloris Learmonth, managing partner, Peck Shaffer and Williams LLP in Cincinnati
- John Kulewicz, partner, Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease, LLP
- Betty Davis, president, Community Concepts, Inc.
- Mike Miller, of counsel, Kegler, Brown Hill and Ritter; former Franklin County Prosecuting Attorney