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Applications are being accepted by the Ohio Judicial Appointments Recommendation Panel (OJARP) to fill a vacant seat on the Butler County Area III Court.
The Area III Court has jurisdiction in all areas within Butler County not subject to the territorial jurisdiction of any municipal court, which includes the City of Monroe and West Chester Township. The seat has been vacant since the resignation of Judge Robert Hendrickson, effective August 15.
In the case of all judicial vacancies, applicants must follow the guidelines set forth by the OJARP to ensure their eligibility for appointment.
Applicants must be a resident and registered elector of Butler 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 or served as a judge of a court of record in any jurisdiction in the United States.
To continue service in the position, the appointee must run in the November election.
Applications must be submitted directly to the OJARP and will then be distributed to the at-large and regional panel members. Details and the full text of the application procedure are available on the judicial panel’s Web site http://ojarp.org/.
Applications must be received by 5 p.m. Aug. 26. The application timeframe has been shortened due to the timing of the vacancy.
Candidates must be available to interview in person on Aug. 28 in Columbus. Individual candidate times and interview locations will be determined at a later date.
Requirements for all applicants include submitting a letter of interest, resume, panel questionnaire at http://ojarp.org/Documents/OJARP%20QUESTIONNAIRE%20INTERACTIVE.pdf, and no more than six letters of recommendation.
Additional details about OJARP and the application process can be found on the Governor’s Web site at www.governor.ohio.gov.
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 Kent Markus or Jeff Ruppert in the Governor’s Office at 614.466.3555.
Gov. Ted Strickland has selected the following individuals to serve on the regional panel for the current Butler County vacancy:
Christopher Rodbro, owner, Chris Rodbro Insurance Agency
Linda Weeden-Harris, attorney; employee and labor relations specialist, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
Frank Cloud, business manager, International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 648
Elizabeth Yauch, attorney, sole practitioner
Lois Wood, retired school teacher; board member and mentor of Friends in Action (mentoring program for at-risk youth)
Mike Gmoser, attorney, Holcomb, Hyde and Gmoser LLP
At-large panel members:
James Ray (panel chair), retired judge, Lucas County Court of Common Pleas, Juvenile Division
Janica Pierce, attorney, Chester Willcox and Saxbe, LLP
John Kulewicz, attorney, Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease, LLP
Betty Davis, president, Community Concepts, Inc.
Isabel Framer, court certified Spanish/English interpreter; chair of the Board of Directors of the National Association of Judicial Interpreters and Translators