Justice
R. Patrick DeWine

Justice Pat DeWine was reelected to a second term on the Supreme Court of Ohio in November 2022. An excellent writer, Justice DeWine is known for the quality and thoroughness of his legal opinions. His opinions reflect his strong belief in judicial restraint and his respect for the constitutional roles of the other coequal branches of government.

Justice DeWine has served at all levels of the Ohio judiciary. Prior to his election to the Supreme Court, Justice DeWine served for four years on the First District Court of Appeals, and prior to that, for four years on the Hamilton County Common Pleas Court.

Justice DeWine has a strong commitment to furthering the rule of law through education. He is an adjunct professor at the University of Cincinnati College of Law where he has taught Appellate Practice and Procedure for the past ten years. In addition, he has taught undergraduate courses at the University of Cincinnati.

Justice DeWine graduated from the University of Michigan Law School in the top ten percent of his class with Order of the Coif honors. He received his undergraduate education at Miami University, where he earned summa cum laude honors.  He was also a member of the Varsity Track and Cross Country teams.

After law school, he clerked for the Honorable David A. Nelson on the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit.  Justice DeWine later practiced law for 13 years in Cincinnati with KMK Law, where he handled a diverse range of litigation matters. 

Prior to becoming a judge, Justice DeWine served as a Hamilton County Commissioner and a member of Cincinnati City Council.  He was a founder of the Build Cincinnati reform group that successfully passed a charter amendment to allow Cincinnati voters to directly elect the Mayor.