List of justices of the Ohio Supreme Court

Bold indicates chief judge or chief justice. The Ohio Supreme Court was created by the Ohio Constitution of 1802 with three judges, and had three or four through 1851. In 1851, the number of judges was increased to five. In 1892, the number of judges was increased to six. In 1912, the office of chief justice was created and the total number of judges was increased to seven (including the chief justice). In 1968, all the supreme court judges were re-titled as justice.

Seal of the Supreme Court of Ohio

See also:

Chief justices edit

Chief judges (1803–1845) edit

Name Party Term
Return Jonathan Meigs Jr. Democratic-Republican 1803–1804
Samuel Huntington Democratic-Republican 1804–1808
William Sprigg Democratic-Republican 1808–1810
Thomas Scott Democratic-Republican 1810–1815
Ethan A. Brown Democratic-Republican 1815–1819
Jessup Nash Couch Democratic-Republican 1819–1821
Calvin Pease Democratic-Republican 1821–1829
Peter Hitchcock   1829–1833
Joshua Collett   1833–1835
Ebenezer Lane   1835–1845

Chief justices (since 1913) edit

Name Party Term
Hugh L. Nichols Democratic 1913–1920
Carrington T. Marshall Republican 1921–1932
Carl V. Weygandt Democratic 1933–1962
Kingsley A. Taft Republican 1963–1970
C. William O'Neill Republican 1970–1978
Robert E. Leach Republican 1978
Frank D. Celebrezze Sr. Democratic 1978–1986
Thomas J. Moyer Republican 1987–2010
Eric Brown Democratic 2010
Maureen O'Connor Republican 2011–2022
Sharon L. Kennedy Republican 2023–

List of justices edit

  denotes incumbent

Name Began active
service
Ended active
service
Political affiliation Appointed by
Return J. Meigs Jr. 1803 1804 Democratic-
Republican
Ohio General Assembly
William Sprigg 1803 1806 Democratic-
Republican
Ohio General Assembly
Samuel Huntington 1803 1808 Democratic-
Republican
Ohio General Assembly
Daniel Symmes 1805 1808 Democratic-
Republican
Elected
George Tod 1806 1810 Democratic-
Republican
Edward Tiffin
Thomas Scott 1809 1815 Democratic-
Republican
Elected
Thomas Morris 1809 1810 Democratic-
Republican
Ohio House
William W. Irvin 1810 1816 Jacksonian Ohio General Assembly
Ethan Allen Brown 1810 1818 Democratic-
Republican
Ohio General Assembly
Jessup Nash Couch 1815 1821 Democratic-
Republican
Thomas Worthington
John McLean 1816 1822 Jacksonian Ohio General Assembly
Calvin Pease 1816 1830 Democratic-
Republican
Ohio General Assembly
Peter Hitchcock 1819
1835
1845
1833
1842
1852
Democratic-
Republican
Ohio General Assembly
Jacob Burnet 1821 1828 National Republican Party Ethan Allen Brown
Charles Robert Sherman 1823 1829 National Republican Party Ohio General Assembly
Joshua Collett 1829 1836 National Republican Party Ohio General Assembly
Elijah Hayward 1830 1830 Democratic Ohio General Assembly
John M. Goodenow 1830 1830 Jacksonian
Henry Brush 1830 1830 Democratic-
Republican
Allen Trimble
Gustavus Swan 1830 1830 National Republican Party Allen Trimble
Ebenezer Lane 1830 1845 National Republican Party Ohio General Assembly
John C. Wright 1831 1835 Democratic-
Republican
Ohio General Assembly
Reuben Wood 1833 1847 Democratic
Frederick Grimke 1836 1842 Democratic Ohio General Assembly
Matthew Birchard 1842 1849 Democratic Ohio General Assembly
Nathaniel C. Reed 1842 1849 Democratic Ohio General Assembly
Edward Avery 1847 1851 Whig Ohio General Assembly
Rufus P. Spalding 1849 1852 Democratic Ohio General Assembly
William B. Caldwell 1849 1854 Democratic Ohio General Assembly
Rufus P. Ranney 1851
1863
1857
1865
Democratic Ohio General Assembly
Thomas W. Bartley 1852 1859 Democratic Elected
John A. Corwin 1852 1854 Democratic Elected
Allen G. Thurman 1852 1856 Democratic Elected
Robert B. Warden 1854 1855 Democratic William Medill
William Kennon Sr. 1854 1856 Democratic William Medill
Joseph Rockwell Swan 1855 1859 Republican Elected
Charles Cleveland Convers 1856 1856 Republican Elected
Jacob Brinkerhoff 1856 1871 Republican Elected
Ozias Bowen 1856 1858 Republican Salmon P. Chase
Josiah Scott 1856 1872 Republican Salmon P. Chase
Milton Sutliff 1858 1863 Republican Elected
William Virgil Peck 1859 1864 Republican Elected
William Y. Gholson 1859 1863 Republican Elected
Horace Wilder 1863 1865 Republican David Tod
Hocking H. Hunter 1864 1864 Republican Elected
William White 1864 1883 Republican John Brough
Luther Day 1865 1875 Republican Elected
John Welch 1865 1878 Republican John Brough
George W. McIlvaine 1871 1886 Republican Elected
William H. West 1872 1873 Republican Elected
Walter F. Stone 1873 1874 Republican Edward Follansbee Noyes
George Rex 1874 1877 Democratic William Allen
William J. Gilmore 1875 1880 Democratic Elected
Washington W. Boynton 1877 1881 Republican Elected
John W. Okey 1878 1885 Democratic Elected
William Wartenbee Johnson 1880 1886 Republican Elected
Nicholas Longworth II 1881 1883 Republican Elected
William H. Upson 1883 1883 Republican Charles Foster
John H. Doyle 1883 1883 Republican Charles Foster
Martin Dewey Follett 1883 1887 Democratic Elected
Selwyn N. Owen 1883 1889 Democratic Elected
Gibson Atherton 1885 1885 Democratic George Hoadly
William T. Spear 1885 1912 Republican Elected
Thaddeus A. Minshall 1886 1902 Republican Elected
Franklin J. Dickman 1886 1895 Republican Joseph B. Foraker
Marshall Jay Williams 1887 1902 Republican Elected
Joseph Perry Bradbury 1889 1902 Republican Elected
Jacob F. Burket 1883 1904 Republican Elected
John Allen Shauck 1895 1914 Republican Elected
William Z. Davis 1900 1912 Republican Elected
James Latimer Price 1902 1912 Republican Elected
William B. Crew 1902 1911 Republican George K. Nash
Augustus N. Summers 1904 1911 Republican Elected
James G. Johnson 1911 1922 Democratic Elected
Maurice H. Donahue 1911 1919 Democratic Elected
Joseph W. O'Hara 1912 1912 Democratic Judson Harmon
J. Foster Wilkin 1912 1914 Democratic Elected
R. M. Wanamaker 1913 1924 Progressive Party Elected
Oscar W. Newman 1913 1919 Democratic Elected
Hugh L. Nichols 1913 1920 Democratic James M. Cox
Thomas A. Jones 1915 1937 Republican Elected
Edward S. Matthias 1915 1953 Republican Elected
James E. Robinson 1919 1932 Republican Elected
Stanley W. Merrell 1919 1920 Democratic James M. Cox
Coleman W. Avery 1920 1920 Democratic James M. Cox
Benson W. Hough 1920 1922 Republican Elected
Carrington T. Marshall 1921 1932 Republican Elected
George H. Clark 1922 1922 Republican Harry L. Davis
Robert H. Day 1923 1933 Republican Elected
Florence E. Allen 1923 1934 Democratic Elected
Harry L. Conn 1924 1924 Democratic Vic Donahey
Reynolds R. Kinkade 1925 1933 Republican Elected
Will P. Stephenson 1932 1936 Democratic George White
Carl V. Weygandt 1933 1962 Democratic Elected
Howard Landis Bevis 1933 1934 Democratic George White
Charles B. Zimmerman 1933
1935
1934
1969
Democratic George White (first term)
Robert Nugen Wilkin 1934 1934 Democratic George White
William L. Hart 1934
1934
1934
1957
Republican
W. F. Garver 1934 1934 Democratic Elected
Roy Hughes Williams 1934 1946 Republican Elected
Arthur H. Day 1935 1940 Republican Elected
George S. Myers 1937 1940 Democratic Elected
Robert N. Gorman 1937 1938 Democratic Martin L. Davey
William C. Dixon 1938 1939 Democratic Elected
Edward C. Turner 1940 1950 Republican John W. Bricker
Gilbert Bettman 1941 1942 Republican Elected
Charles S. Bell 1942 1947 Republican Elected
Robert M. Sohngen 1947 1948 Democratic Frank Lausche
James Garfield Stewart 1947 1959 Republican Thomas J. Herbert
Kingsley A. Taft 1949 1962 Republican Elected
Howard E. Faught 1950 1950 Democratic Frank Lausche
Henry A. Middleton 1950 1954 Republican Elected
John H. Lamneck 1953 1954 Democratic Frank Lausche
John M. Matthias 1954 1970 Republican Elected
James F. Bell 1955 1962 Democratic Elected
Thomas J. Herbert 1957 1963 Republican Elected
John Weld Peck II 1959 1960 Democratic Michael DiSalle
C. William O'Neill 1960 1978 Republican Elected
Lynn B. Griffith 1962 1964 Democratic Michael DiSalle
Rankin Gibson 1963 1964 Democratic Michael DiSalle
Paul M. Herbert 1963 1968 Republican Elected
Louis J. Schneider Jr. 1964 1972 Republican Elected
Paul W. Brown 1964
1973
1968
1981
Republican Jim Rhodes (first term)
Robert Morton Duncan 1969 1971 Republican Jim Rhodes
Thomas M. Herbert 1969 1980 Republican Elected
J. J. P. Corrigan 1969 1976 Republican Jim Rhodes
Leonard J. Stern 1970 1977 Republican Jim Rhodes
Robert E. Leach 1970 1978 Republican Jim Rhodes
Lloyd O. Brown 1971 1973 Democratic John J. Gilligan
Frank Celebrezze 1972 1978 Democratic Elected
William B. Brown 1973 1984 Democratic Elected
A. William Sweeney 1977 1994 Democratic Elected
Ralph S. Locher 1977 1989 Democratic Elected
Robert E. Holmes 1978 1982 Republican Jim Rhodes
David Dudley Dowd Jr. 1980 1981 Republican Jim Rhodes
Clifford F. Brown 1981 1987 Democratic Elected
Blanche Krupansky 1981 1983 Republican Jim Rhodes
James Celebrezze 1983 1985 Democratic Elected
Andy Douglas 1985 2002 Republican Elected
J. Craig Wright 1985 1996 Republican Elected
Thomas J. Moyer 1987 2010 Republican Elected
Herbert R. Brown 1987 1993 Democratic Elected
Alice Robie Resnick 1989 2007 Democratic Elected
Francis E. Sweeney 1993 2004 Democratic Elected
Paul Pfeifer 1993 2017 Republican Elected
Deborah L. Cook 1995 2003 Republican Elected
Evelyn Lundberg Stratton 1996 2012 Republican George Voinovich
Maureen O'Connor 2003 2022 Republican Elected
Terrence O'Donnell 2003 2018 Republican Bob Taft
Judith Ann Lanzinger 2005 2016 Republican Elected
Robert R. Cupp 2007 2013 Republican Elected
Eric Brown 2010 2010 Democratic Ted Strickland
Yvette McGee Brown 2011 2012 Democratic Ted Strickland
Sharon L. Kennedy 2012 present Republican Elected
Judith L. French 2013 2021 Republican John Kasich
William O'Neill 2013 2018 Democratic Elected
Patrick F. Fischer 2017 present Republican Elected
Pat DeWine 2017 present Republican Elected
Mary DeGenaro 2018 2019 Republican John Kasich
Michael P. Donnelly 2019 present Democratic Elected
Melody J. Stewart 2019 present Democratic Elected
Jennifer Brunner 2021 present Democratic Elected
Joe Deters 2023 present Republican Mike DeWine

Supreme Court Commission edit

In 1875, the Constitution of Ohio was amended to provide for the Supreme Court Commission.[1] The amendment reads in part: "A commission, which shall consist of five members, shall be appointed by the governor, with the advice and consent of the Senate, the members of which shall hold office for the term of three years from and after the first day of February, 1876, to dispose of such part of the business then on the dockets of the Supreme Court, as shall, by arrangement between said commission and said court, be transferred to such commission; and said commission shall have like jurisdiction and power in respect to such business as are or may be vested in said court; and the members of said commission shall receive a like compensation for the time being, with the judges of said court."[2]

Commission of 1876 edit

On February 2, 1876, Ohio Governor Rutherford B. Hayes appointed the following six members:[3][4]

Harrison refused the appointment, and Thomas Q. Ashburn of Clermont County was seated March 16, 1878. The commission sat until February 2, 1879, and "assisted in bringing up the docket which had fallen behind the reasonable time for trial."[4]

Commission of 1883 edit

Governor Charles Foster appointed another commission of four men, which served from April 17, 1883 to April 16, 1885.[3][4]

References edit

  1. ^ See Article IV, section 21 at "Constitution of the State of Ohio" (PDF). Ohio Secretary of State Jon A. Husted. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2015-02-27. Retrieved 2014-08-09.
  2. ^ Amendment called for five members. In 1876, six members were named. In 1883, four were named. Also, amendment called for "...a like commission with like powers, jurisdiction and duties; provided, that the term of any such commission shall not exceed two years, nor shall it be created oftener than once in ten years", though 1883 was not ten years from 1876. Apparently, the amendment is still in force.
  3. ^ a b "Justices of the Supreme Court of Ohio 1787 – Present". Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted. Retrieved 2012-01-24.
  4. ^ a b c Gilkey, p. 478.

Further reading edit