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.
See also:
Chief justices
Chief judges (1803–1845)
| 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)
| 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
denotes incumbent
Supreme Court Commission
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
On February 2, 1876, Ohio Governor Rutherford B. Hayes appointed the following six members:[3][4]
- Josiah Scott of Crawford County
- William Wartenbee Johnson of Lawrence County
- D. Thew Wright of Hamilton County
- Richard A. Harrison of Franklin County
- Henry C. Whitman of Hamilton County
- Luther Day of Portage County
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
Governor Charles Foster appointed another commission of four men, which served from April 17, 1883 to April 16, 1885.[3][4]
References
- 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.
- 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.
- "Justices of the Supreme Court of Ohio 1787 – Present". Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted. Retrieved 2012-01-24.
- Gilkey, p. 478.
Further reading
- Gilkey, Elliott Howard, ed. (1901). The Ohio Hundred Year Book: a Handbook of the Public Men and Public Institutions of Ohio ... State of Ohio.
- Taylor, William Alexander; Taylor, Aubrey Clarence (1899). Ohio Statesmen and Annals of Progress: from the year 1788 to the year 1900 ... State of Ohio.
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