Acting Judges Frequently Asked Questions

Municipal and county courts.

Yes, if your absence is for a reason other than incapacitation, disqualification, suspension, or recusal.

Yes, if you are the presiding judge of a municipal or county count with two or more judges, you can appoint an "acting judge" to serve in the stead of a judge absent from the court due to incapacitation, unavailability, temporary absence, or in the case of a vacancy. On a multijudge court, any judge's temporary absence can be covered by an acting judge, but only the presiding judge can appoint the acting judge.

Depending on timing, there are two possible answers:

1. Before March 23, 2023
   • Residency
     • A resident of the territory of the court; or
     • if the territory of the court has a population of less than 25,000 according to the latest federal decennial census and the judge is unable to appoint a substitute who is a resident of the territory of the court, a resident of the territory of another municipal or county court that is contiguous to the court.
   • Experience
     • A person admitted to the practice of law in this state and who has been engaged in the practice of law in Ohio for a total of at least six years preceding the appointment;
     • A judge of a court of record in any U.S. jurisdiction; or
     • A retired judge of a court of record.
2. On or after March 23, 2023
   • Residency
     • A resident of the territory of the court; or
     • A resident of the territory of another municipal or county court that is contiguous to the court.
   • Experience
     • A person admitted to the practice of law in this state and who has been engaged in the practice of law in Ohio for a total of at least six years preceding the appointment;
     • A judge of a court of record in any U.S. jurisdiction; or
     • A retired judge of a court of record.

Yes, each acting judge must register annually with the Supreme Court Commission on Continuing Legal Education. And as part of the 24 hours of CLE each attorney must complete for each biennial compliance period, each acting judge must complete at least 10 credit hours of CLE that are offered by the Supreme Court of Ohio Judicial College and that do not consist solely of instruction on professional conduct required
by Gov.Bar R. X, Section 3(B).

For emergency appointments of acting judges-lasting no longer than 24 hours or until the conclusion of the next day the court is open-the CLE and registration requirements discussed above do not apply. Emergency appointments can only be made due to both unforeseen circumstances, such as a family illness or death, and the lack of availability of a registered acting judge or the impracticability of applying for a visiting judge or retired judge sitting by assignment of the Chief Justice.

You must register annually as an acting judge via the online attorney portal, which is
found on the Supreme Court of Ohio website.

You may access instructions to assist you with this process on the Judicial Officers tab of the website.

You can register for Continuing Legal Education ( CLE) courses on the Supreme Court of Ohio Judicial College webpage.