Michael P. Donnelly

Michael Patrick Donnelly (born August 30, 1966) is a Justice of the Supreme Court of Ohio. He formerly served as a Judge of the Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas.

Michael P. Donnelly
Associate Justice of the Ohio Supreme Court
Incumbent
Assumed office January 1, 2019
Preceded by	Terrence O'Donnell
Judge of the Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas
In office January 3, 2005 – January 1, 2019
Personal details
Born	August 30, 1966 Cleveland, Ohio
Political party	Democratic
Residence	Cleveland Heights, Ohio
Education	John Carroll University (B.A.) Cleveland–Marshall College of Law (J.D.)

Education

Donnelly was born August 30, 1966.[1] He received his Bachelor of Arts from John Carroll University and his Juris Doctor from the Cleveland–Marshall College of Law.[2]

Legal career

Before serving on the Court of Common Pleas, Donnelly was an assistant Cuyahoga County Prosecutor from 1992 until 1997. He then went on to practice civil ligation, where he represented plaintiffs and injured workers in asbestos litigation, personal injury lawsuits, and workers’ compensation claims. He served in the offices of Davis & Young from 1997–1999 and then Climaco, Lefkowitz, Peca, Wilcox & Garofoli from 1999–2004.[3]

State judicial service

He previously served as a judge on the Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas General Division in Cleveland, Ohio. He first joined the court on January 3, 2005.[1] From 2010 to 2017, he was one of five judges on Cuyahoga County’s Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities Court, which oversees criminal cases involving defendants who suffer from schizophrenia, schizophrenic disorder, or a developmental disability. He also has been a faculty member of the Ohio Judicial College, teaching both attorneys and judges at numerous continuing-legal-education seminars on professionalism and issues of civil and criminal justice reform. [4]

Ohio Supreme Court

On January 3, 2018 Donnelly announced his candidacy as a Justice of the Ohio Supreme Court, seeking to replace Terrence O'Donnell, who reached the mandatory retirement age.[5] On November 6, 2018 Donnelly defeated his Republican opponent Judge Craig Baldwin who sits on the Fifth District Court of Appeals in Ohio 61 percent to 39 percent.[6][7]

During his tenure, Justice Donnelly has written several notable dissents, including in a case involving the state takeover of Youngstown City Schools. In that case, the majority upheld the constitutionality of Ohio House Bill 70, which allowed for the state of Ohio to take over lower performing public schools. Donnelly disagreed with the majority opinion, and called the decision an “egregious display of constitutional grade inflation," siding firmly against the decision. [8]

Personal life

Donnelly is a registered Democrat.[2]

References

1. "Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court". cp.cuyahogacounty.us. Retrieved 2018-11-13.
2. Borchardt, Jackie (2018-11-05). "Ohio 2018 election: Who's running for Ohio Supreme Court?". Cincinnati.com. Retrieved 2018-11-13.
3. "Judge Michael P. Donnelly". Ohio Democratic County Chairs Association. 2018-01-04. Retrieved 2018-11-13.
4. https://www.sconet.state.oh.us/SCO/justices/donnelly/
5. Ludlow, Randy (2018-01-03). "Cleveland judge announces Ohio Supreme Court candidacy". The Columbus Dispatch. Retrieved 2018-11-13.
6. Saker, Anne (2018-11-06). "Ohio Supreme Court: Democrats break Republican lock, pick up two seats". Cincinnati.com. Retrieved 2018-11-13.
7. "Democrats win Supreme Court; Republicans Appeals Court - Pomeroy Daily Sentinel". Pomeroy Daily Sentinel. 2018-11-07. Retrieved 2018-11-13.
8. https://ohiocapitaljournal.com/2020/05/14/ohio-supreme-court-says-takeover-of-schools-was-constitutional/

External links