Court News

Newly elected Ohio judges learned about the duties and challenges that come with serving their community at the Supreme Court of Ohio’s new judge orientation in December.

Judge Judge Kevin Kelley, Judge Brian Mooney, Jennifer O'Donnell, and Judge Jeffrey Saffold were among 63 new judges who attended the week-long course that information and tools they need for transitioning to the bench. Most of the attendees were first-time judges while some are taking positions with different courts.

The new judges met at the Thomas J. Moyer Ohio Judicial Center for the first in-person orientation since the COVID-19 pandemic led to online education in the spring of 2020. The major benefit to being in-person is that participants can talk easily with seasoned judges and peers about the ethical, procedural, and administrative responsibilities that come with judgeships. Above all, there’s the human component of understanding how much their actions and decisions can impact the lives of others.

“Chances are, what’s happening in your courtroom is the most important thing that parties have going on in their lives at that moment, and just always being mindful of that, and treating it with the utmost importance,” said Judge O’Donnell told Court News Ohio.

Attendees were made aware of how to access the Supreme Court’s network of services, resources, and information, including case management, human resources, security, and language services. The education provided by the Judicial College is the beginning of hundreds of hours of content produced every year to inform and update judges.

 - by Csaba Sukosd, Court News Ohio