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Fifteen Ohio judges have been selected by the Supreme Court of Ohio to participate in the Advanced Science and Technology Adjudication Resource Program (ASTAR) – a national program designed to prepare judges to preside over cases involving complex scientific issues. This will be the second class of Ohio judges to participate in the program.
Ohio is helping to spearhead ASTAR, which offers standardized training to judges around the country to handle the increasing volume of complex, high-tech cases on court dockets. Throughout the year, the judges participate in sessions focused on scientific issues, such as forensics, agricultural, reproductive medicine and computer science.
The first group of Ohio judges recently completed the program.
“I commend these judges for their commitment to being educated in these advanced science-related issues,” said Chief Justice Thomas J. Moyer. “This training will provide them with the knowledge they need to preside over complex cases. Through their participation in this program, they are leading the way nationally to a better understanding of scientific issues that impact our society and our courtrooms.”
Chief Justice Moyer serves on the board of the Einstein Institute for Science Health and the Courts, (EINSHAC), a national organization that provides education seminars for judges and assists in the development of scientific protocols for deciding cases with scientific dimensions and questions. EINSHAC has produced 50 educational institutes for judges in America and on most of the continents.
A number of forensic science experts such as FBI scientists, doctors and college professors serve as instructors for the ASTAR program. Participants are expected to give back to the program by serving as faculty for future sessions and acting as resources for other judges who have complex science cases brought before them.
Three states, Ohio, Maryland and California, have formed a consortium to participate in this project. The goal of ASTAR is to train 700 resource judges in the United States and foreign jurisdictions by the end of this decade.
| 2007 ASTAR Program Participants | |
| Judge Eric Brown | Franklin County Court of Common Pleas |
| Judge Joyce A. Campbell | Fairfield Municipal Court |
| Judge Christopher Collier | Medina County Court of Common Pleas |
| Judge Sean C. Gallagher | 8th District Court of Appeals |
| Judge Thomas H. Gerken | Hocking County Court of Common Pleas |
| Judge Cheryl S. Karner | Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas-Domestic Relations Division |
| Judge Fred Nelson | Hamilton County Court of Common Pleas |
| Judge Charles A. Schneider | Franklin County Court of Common Pleas |
| Judge Brenda Burnham Unruh | Summit County Court of Common Pleas |
| Judge Michael Ward | Athens County Court of Common Pleas |
| Judge Thomas D. White | Holmes County Court of Common Pleas |
| Judge Beth Whitmore | 9th District Court of Appeals |
| Judge Mark K. Wiest | Wayne County Court of Common Pleas |
| Judge William H. Wolff, Jr. | 2nd District Court of Appeals |
| Judge Norman G. Zemmelman | Lucas County Court of Common Pleas-Domestic Relations Division |
Contact: Andrea M. Strle at 614.387.9250.