Bar Association Says 2 Judges Enough for Youngstown
YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – “Municipal Court can efficiently operate with two judges instead of three,” the Mahoning County Bar Association said Wednesday.
After extensive review, said bar association President Shirley J. Christian and former President Scott Cochran, their membership concluded, “Operating with two judges would reduce expenses and align more closely the city’s population and the court’s case volume, both of which have decreased considerably in the past 10 years.”
The lawyers charged with looking into the merits of keeping three judges or eliminating one seat said the case for two “is stronger by far,” Christian, an attorney with Harrington, Hoppe & Mitchell Ltd., announced.
Judge Robert Douglas retired from the bench and Gov. John Kasich has not acted to fill it. The bar association said the timing of eliminating the seat is a matter best determined by the state Legislature and the governor.
Among the data the bar association offered in support of its recommendation:
- Youngstown has a smaller population than Xenia, 66,982 and 69,558 respectively, but Xenia has only one municipal judge.
- Youngstown has three full-time judges while Austintown Township (population 42,595), Boardman Township (population 40,882), city of Canfield (23,541) and Sebring (29,947) is each served by one part-time judge.
- Were there just two municipal judges in Youngstown, each would handle 501 felony cases a year (based on 2011 data), the same as Cleveland, where each municipal judge deals with 502 a year on average. Municipal judges in Toledo handled 696 felony cases on average last year and those in Akron handled 592 on average.
Published by The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.