Post on 02-Jan-2016
Welcome to the U.S. District Court
Northern District of Ohio
CONSTITUTIONOver 200 years ago, our Founding Fathers wrote the Constitution. It is a basic design for how our government should work. It divides the government into three branches of government: Judicial, Legislative, and Executive. Each branch has its own responsibility to make
sure our country runs smoothly.
Judicial Branch
The Judicial Branch is made up of courts that interpret the meaning of a law. It was established in Article III of the Constitution.
Federal CourtsThe Federal Courts are established by the U.S. Government. They hear cases involving:
the U.S. Constitutionlaws passed by Congresscases in which the United States is a partycases involving foreign diplomatsbankruptcysome cases involving state laws but involve
parties from different states
Federal Courts
There are fewer than 1,700 federal judges and magistrates who hear about two million cases a year.
Federal District Courts are trial courts. Cases are tried, witnesses testify, and juries serve. They are divided into 94 federal judicial districts.
State CourtsThe State Courts are established by the state or by a county or city within the state. They hear cases involving:
laws passed by the statetraffic and parking violationsfamily disputespetty offensessmall civil casesprobate matters
There are almost 30,000 judges who hear about 50 million cases a year.
Court of AppealsIf you lose a trial in a district court, you can appeal the case in the Court of Appeals. The Court will review the case to see if the judge applied the law correctly. They are grouped in 12 regional circuits, plus a 13th federal circuit covering the entire country.
U.S. Supreme CourtThe Supreme Court hears cases from the court of appeals in each circuit and from the state supreme courts. It does not hear all cases and it agrees to hear only a small percentage of the cases it is asked to review. It is located in Washington, D.C.
The Northern District of Ohio is in the Sixth Circuit
Ohio is broken into two districts:
Northern District of Ohio
Southern District of Ohio
The Northern District of Ohio has four locations: Cleveland,
Akron, Youngstown, and Toledo. Currently, there are 16 district
judges and nine magistrate judges.
JudgesAkron
Judge John AdamsJudge Sara LioiJudge David Dowd, Jr.Magistrate Judge Benita Pearson
Youngstown
Judge Peter EconomusMagistrate Judge George Limbert
Judges
Toledo
Chief Judge James CarrJudge Jack ZouharyJudge David KatzMagistrate Judge Vernelis Armstrong
Judges
Cleveland
Judge Solomon Oliver, Jr.Judge Kathleen O’Malley
Judge Donald NugentJudge Patricia Gaughan
Judge Dan PolsterJudge James Gwin
Judge Christopher BoykoJudge Ann AldrichJudge Lesley Wells
Magistrate Judge Nancy Vecchiarelli Magistrate Judge William Baughman, Jr.
Magistrate Judge Kenneth McHarghMagistrate Judge Greg White
Magistrate Judge David PerelmanMagistrate Judge James Gallas