The Ohio Judicial Appointments Recommendation Panel is currently accepting applications to fill a vacant seat on the 6th District Court of Appeals.  

The seat became vacant due to the death of Judge William Skow on June 21, 2009.  

The 6th District Court of Appeals holds jurisdiction in the counties of Erie, Fulton, Huron, Lucas, Ottawa, Sandusky, Williams, and Wood.  The court exercises jurisdiction to review, affirm, modify, set aside or reserve judgments or final orders of lower courts, as well as decisions of administrative officers or agencies in the district.    

Applicants for the 6th District Court of Appeals position must be a resident and registered elector of Erie, Fulton, Huron, Lucas, Ottawa, Sandusky, Williams, or Wood 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 2010 general election in all 8 counties.

In the case of all judicial vacancies, applicants must follow the guidelines set forth by the Ohio Judicial Appointments Recommendation Panel to ensure their eligibility for appointment.

Applications must be submitted directly to the judicial panel and will then be distributed to the at-large and regional panel members. Additional details about OJARP and the application process can be found on the OJARP Web site at www.ojarp.org. 

 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.

Applications for the 6th District Court of Appeals appointment must be received by 5 p.m. September 17, 2009.

 Candidates must be available to interview in person on October 2nd in Columbus. Individual candidate times and interview locations will be determined at a later date.

Governor Ted Strickland has selected the following individuals to serve on the regional
panel for the current 6th District Court of Appeals vacancy: Steve Johnson, vice president of operations, GEM, Inc.; Dennis Duffey, secretary-treasurer, Ohio State Building Trades Council; Lourdes Santiago, attorney and assistant chief of staff to the mayor, City of Toledo; Paul Duggan, attorney, Duggan Law Office; Robert Bratton, Ottawa County Sheriff; and Luvada Wilson, staff law clerk, Judge Tygh Tone, Erie County Juvenile Court.  

At-large panel members include: Marianna Brown Bettman, professor, University of Cincinnati College of Law; former judge, First District Court of Appeals; Derrick McDonald, patrol officer, Dayton Police Department; John Kulewicz, attorney, Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease, LLP; Betty Davis, president, Community Concepts, Inc.; and Isabel Framer, interpreter, former chair of the Board of Directors of the National Association of Judiciary Interpreters and Translators.