Justice Pat DeWine began his six-year term on the Supreme Court of Ohio on Jan. 2, 2017, following his statewide election in November 2016. He did his undergraduate work at Miami University and received his law degree from the University of Michigan. He has had experience as a Hamilton County Commissioner and served in the legal system, eventually joining the Ohio Supreme Court.An excellent writer, Justice DeWine is known for the quality and thoroughness of his legal opinions. His opinions reflect his strong belief in judicial restraint and his respect for the constitutional roles of the other coequal branches of governmenJustice DeWine presented a slide show on the workings of the court and talked about how Justices get on the Court. They are elected, not appointed, and hold six- year terms. He outlined reasons why we should care about the Supreme Court including the fact that 90% of cases are heard in state court. The court can protect individual rights, public safety, jobs and economy and provide legal rules to be enforced in courts.
Justice DeWine then walked us through the case process at the Court. He used a real case for the illustration that involved two businesses arguing over a domain name. He noted earlier court findings with an appeal finally coming to the Ohio Supreme Court. Justice DeWine talked about how a case is argued before the Court. He shared information about voting and defining majority and minority opinions. Opinions are written in clear English and spell out the rationale for the decisions. In the example case, the Supreme Court upheld the lower court decisions. He told us that the Ohio Supreme Court’s decision is not appealable, unless a federal issue is involved.
Justice DeWine shared information about why judges see things differently based on approaches to legal matters and philosophies.
Response:
Bill Nome, retired Municipal Court Judge, gave the response. He thanked Justice DeWine for his presentation and for taking us through an actual case decided by the Court. He appreciates the plain writing of opinions. He also noted that wide variety of cases heard by the Supreme Court. This was a very informative program.
