Columbus, Ohio – The Ohio Judicial Appointments Recommendation Panel is currently accepting applications for a vacant seat on the Franklin County Municipal Court. In addition, Governor Ted Strickland has announced the selection of the regional panel members that will assist the at-large members in recommending appointees to the position.
“I am confident that our new recommendation process for judicial appointments will be carried out fairly and will help ensure that the most qualified judges serve our state,” Strickland said.
Applicants for the municipal court post 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 prior to assuming the judicial post.
The term of the Franklin County judgeship extends until January 1, 2008.
In the case of all judicial vacancies, applicants must follow the guidelines set forth by Ohio Judicial Appointments Recommendation Panel to ensure their eligibility for appointment. 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 the Governor’s Office.
Applications must be submitted directly to the panel and will then be distributed to the at-large and regional panel members. Details and the full text of the application procedure are available below and on the judicial panel's section of the governor’s Web site, http://governor.ohio.gov/GovernorsOffice/JudicialAppointments/tabid/127/Default.aspx/.
Requirements for all applicants include submitting a letter of interest, resume, panel questionnaire and no more than six letters of recommendation.
Applications must be received within 15 days of the vacancy notice (unless otherwise posted by the panel). Applications for the position on the Franklin County Municipal Court must be received by 5 p.m. February 20.
Governor Strickland has selected the following individuals to serve on the regional panel for the current Franklin County vacancy: William Anthony, Franklin County Democratic Party Chairman; Kevin Boyce, Columbus City Council; Delena Edwards, attorney; David Hetzler, DLZ Inc., business and industry representative; James Hudson, Laborers Local 423, labor and consumer representative; and Mark Serrot, attorney.