Columbus, Ohio – Governor Ted Strickland announced today the appointment of Columbus City Councilwoman Patsy Thomas to fill a vacancy on the Franklin County Municipal Court.
“Patsy fully embodies the integrity and high professional standards that judges should demonstrate,” Strickland said. “Her legal experience, service to the community and dedication to the justice system will allow her to effectively and impartially apply the law.”
Thomas has been a member of Columbus City Council since 2003 and serves as chair of the Public Utilities and Refuse Committee.
Thomas brings to the Franklin County Municipal Court more than 20 years of legal experience. Since 2003, she has worked as an attorney for the litigation section of Kegler, Brown, Hill and Ritter, LPA, representing clients at administrative hearings before the Bureau of Workers’ Compensation and Industrial Commission of Ohio, and litigating cases throughout Ohio before Courts of Common Pleas.
Thomas served as assistant city attorney for the environmental unit of the Columbus City Attorney’s Office from 1997-2003 and as assistant attorney general for the workers’ compensation section of the Ohio Attorney General’s Office from 1995-1997. Thomas also worked at the Franklin County Municipal Court as a part-time magistrate in 1995 and as a courtroom bailiff for Judge Janet Jackson from 1987-1995.
Thomas, a life-long Columbus resident, received undergraduate degrees from Columbus State Community College and Franklin University and her law degree from Capital University.
“I am grateful for this opportunity, and I look forward to serving on the bench, guided by honesty, justice and respect for the law and our citizens,” she said.
Thomas is the founding member and past president of the John Mercer Langston Bar Association, a minority bar association and a Columbus affiliate of the National Bar Association. She is also a member of the Ohio State Bar Association and several boards and community organizations.
Thomas, who will turn 47 Saturday, resides in Columbus with her husband Lawrence Branham, Jr.
Thomas’ term as judge begins effective April 9. The term extends until January 1, 2008.
Governor Strickland selected Thomas through Ohio’s new judicial selection process, in which members of the Ohio Judicial Appointments Recommendation Panel (OJARP) evaluate the qualifications of applicants for judicial vacancies and then make non-binding recommendations to the governor based on their evaluations. OJARP is currently working to fill judicial vacancies in Cuyahoga, Hamilton, Lucas, Montgomery, and Stark counties.