Jan. 8, 2009
Judicial Panel Accepting Applications to Fill Vacancies on Franklin, Sandusky County Courts
Applications to be considered for vacancies on courts in Franklin and Sandusky counties are due by 5 p.m. Jan. 20, according to the Ohio Judicial Appointments Recommendations Panel (OJARP).
Each vacancy – two future vacancies on the Franklin County Court of Common Pleas and one current vacant seat on the Sandusky County Municipal Court – is the result of the November 2008 election of judges to new positions.
Franklin County Court of Common Pleas
Two seats will be vacated on Feb. 9 because of the election of Judge Eric Brown to the Franklin County Probate Court and Judge John Connor to the 10th District Court of Appeals.
Applicants for the position must be a resident and registered elector of Franklin County 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 legal 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.
Candidates must be available to interview in person on Jan. 29 and 30 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 to handle both vacancies:
Jason Pappas, officer for the Columbus Police Department and vice president of the Franklin County Fraternal Order of Police (FOP)
Mary Amos Augsburger, attorney; Squire, Sanders and Dempsey, LLP
Eileen Paley, attorney, Paley Law Office, LPA
Mark Rutkus, legislative aide, Office of Columbus City Council President Michael Mentel
Zach Manifold, executive director, Franklin County Democratic Party
James Hudson, member, Laborers Local 423
At-large panel members:
Janet E. Jackson, chair, President and CEO of United Way of Central Ohio
Joy Malek Oldfield, partner at Hill Hardman Oldfield, LLC, in Akron
Meg Flack, board member of the Ohio League of Women Voters
Doloris Learmonth, managing partner at Peck Shaffer and Williams LLP in Cincinnati
John Kulewicz, attorney, Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease, LLP
Sandusky County Municipal Court
This seat is vacant as of Jan. 1 because of the election of Judge John Dewey to the Sandusky County Court of Common Pleas.
Applicants for the position must be a resident and registered elector of the jurisdiction of the Sandusky County Municipal Court 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 legal 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.
Candidates must be available to interview in person on Jan. 30 in Columbus. Individual candidate times and interview locations will be determined at a later date
Gov. Strickland has selected the following individuals to serve on the regional panel for this vacancy:
Hollis McBroom, retired detective in the Sandusky County Sheriff’s Office
James Ellis, attorney, Arnold, Caruso, Green and Belazis, Ltd.
Nina Pascua, MD/Ph.D, immunologist; retired mayor and councilwoman for the City of Clyde
David Pasch, retired physics/general science teacher
Joseph Albrechta, attorney, Albrechta and Coble, Ltd.
Karen Wagner, member of Fremont City Council and the Ohio Farmers Union
At-large panel members:
Janet E. Jackson, chair, president and CEO of United Way of Central Ohio
Joy Malek Oldfield, partner at Hill Hardman Oldfield, LLC, in Akron
Meg Flack, board member of the Ohio League of Women Voters
Doloris Learmonth, managing partner at Peck Shaffer and Williams LLP in Cincinnati
John Kulewicz, attorney, Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease, LLP
In the case of all judicial vacancies, applicants must follow the guidelines set forth by the OJARP to ensure their eligibility for appointment.
Applications must be submitted directly to OJARP and will then be distributed to the at-large and regional panel members. Details and the full text of the application procedure are available on the judicial panel’s Web site www.ojarp.org 
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Requirements for all applicants include submitting a letter of interest, resume, panel questionnaire at www.ojarp.org, and no more than six letters of recommendation.
Additional details about OJARP and the application process can be found at the Governor’s Web site at www.governor.ohio.gov .
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.
Contact: Chris Davey or Bret Crow at 614.387.9250.