New Justice joins Ohio Supreme Court
Mary DeGenaro,
appointed as the 159th justice of the Ohio Supreme Court by Gov. John R.
Kasich, was sworn in today by Chief Justice Maureen O’Connor for a term
beginning Sunday.
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| Justice-designate Mary DeGenaro |
Justice-designate
DeGenaro, who has served nearly 17 years as a judge on the Seventh District
Court of Appeals in Youngstown, will begin serving on the Supreme Court on Jan.
28, filling the remainder of the term being vacated by the resignation,
effective Friday, of Justice William M. O’Neill.
The appointed term
ends Jan. 1, 2019. The seat is up for election this November for a full term
beginning Jan. 2, 2019. Ohio Supreme Court justices serve six-year terms.
“I am mindful of, and
humbled by, the responsibility you have given me on behalf of all the citizens
of the state of Ohio,’’ Justice DeGenero, 56, told a statehouse news conference
today with the governor.
DeGenaro's appointment means that Ohio's highest court is now all-Republican. O'Neill, the only Democrat, is stepping down tomorrow to seek the Democratic gubernatorial nomination. His resignation will leave U. S. Senator Sherrod Brown as the sole Democrat elected to statewide office.
Effective next week, the Court will also be comprised of a majority of women.
DeGenaro began serving
as a judge on the Seventh District Court of Appeals on Feb. 9, 2001. During her
tenure, she sat by assignment with the Ohio Supreme Court and other appellate
districts. Prior to her judgeship, she served on the Poland Village Council.
DeGenaro has served as
an adjunct faculty member for the political science department at Youngstown
State University, where she earned her Bachelor of Arts degree. She received
her law degree from the Cleveland-Marshall College of Law, where she interned
with U.S. District Judge George White.
She currently is vice
president of the Ohio Women’s Bar Association.
She was admitted to
the Ohio bar in 1986.
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