June 8, 2010
Judicial Panel Accepting Applications to Fill Hamilton County Municipal Court Vacancy
The Ohio Judicial Appointments Recommendation Panel (OJARP) will accept applications to fill a vacant seat on the Hamilton County Municipal Court until 5 p.m. July 7. Candidates must be available to interview on July 16 in Columbus.
The seat became vacant on March 19 due to the death of Judge Julia Stautberg.
Applicants for the position must be residents and registered electors of Hamilton 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.
To continue service in the position, the appointee must run in the November 2011 general election.
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.
Gov. Ted Strickland has selected the following individuals to serve on the regional panel for the vacancy:
E.J. Wunsch, Corporate Secretary, Procter and Gamble
Shanda Spurlock, associate, Greenbaum, Doll and McDonald PLCC, and member, Ohio Supreme Court Commission on Professionalism
Brigid Kelly, political director, United Food and Commercial Workers, Local 75
Wende C. Cross, founder, W.C. Cross & Associates, LLC and former Assistant United States Attorney
Patrick Hanley, founder, Law Offices of Patrick K. Hanley and former Assistant United States Attorney
Janaya Trotter, associate, Ritter & Randolph, LLC
At-large panel members include:
Marianna Brown Bettman (chair), professor, University of Cincinnati College of Law; former judge, First District Court of Appeals
Derric D. McDonald, patrol officer, Dayton Police Department
Betty Davis, president, Community Concepts, Inc., and member, Ohio Ethics Commission
Joy Malek Oldfield, partner at Hill Hardman Oldfield, LLC
Gary Leppla, founder, Leppla Associates and Counselors at Law; past president, Ohio State Bar Association