U.S. court application deadline is June 4

5/11/2010

Candidates interested in the upcoming vacancy on the U.S. District Court in Toledo have until June 4 to submit their application.

Ohio's two U.S. senators yesterday announced the deadline as part of the process for filling the vacancy to be created when Chief Judge James Carr goes on senior status June 1.

Sen. Sherrod Brown, a Democrat, and Sen. George Voinovich, a Republican, each appointed members to two judicial advisory commissions a year ago, one for the Southern District and one for the Northern District.

To avoid conflicts of interest, commission members residing in the Southern District will recommend candidates for the Northern District, and vice versa.

Both senators issued statements commending Judge Carr on his service on the bench.

Candidates can download applications at brown.senate.gov/issues_and_agenda/issues/judicial_candidate/ or can request them by emailing judicial_candidate@brown.senate.gov.

The completed application must be sent to judicial_candidate@brown.senate.gov by the close of business June 4.

U.S. District Court judges are nominated by the President and must be confirmed by the Senate.

The commission screening candidates for the Toledo seat will be headed by Nancy Rogers of Columbus. Ms. Rogers is a former Ohio attorney general and former dean of the Moritz college of law at the Ohio State University.

Commission members include Robin Bozian, of Marietta, an attorney with Washington County Legal Aid, Donald Brey of Columbus, a partner at Chester, Wilcox & Saxbe, Al Gerhardstein of Cincinnati, a partner at Gerhardstein & Branch. Sean Grayson of Dayton, general counsel to AFSCME Ohio Council 8, Ralph Harper of Dayton, former Green County commissioner, Dave Hobson of Springfield, a former representative from Ohio's 7th Congressional district, and Nathaniel Jones of Cincinnati, chief diversity and inclusion officer for Blank Rome and former member of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit.

Others on the panel are Ralph Kohnen of Cincinnati, a partner at Taft Stettinius & Hollister, John Kulewicz of Columbus, a partner at Vorys, Sater, Seymour, and Pease, Greg Lockhart of Dayton, a partner at Taft Stettinius & Hollister and former U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, Roderick McDavis of Athens, president of Ohio University, and Jill Meyer of Cincinnati, of Frost Brown Todd's Cincinnati office.

Other panelists are Alvarene Owens of Dayton, a civil claims specialist, David Shroyer of Columbus, member of Colley Shroyer & Abraham, Elizabeth Smith of Columbus, a partner at Vorys, Sater, Seymour, and Pease, and Susan Tomasky of Columbus, executive vice-president and counsel to American Electric Power.