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Michael Donnelly
Michael Donnelly
Justice of the Ohio Supreme Court
	Incumbent
	Assumed office ; January 1, 2019
Preceded by	Terrence O'Donnell
Personal details
Born	Michael Patrick Donnelly; August 30, 1966 (age 58); Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.
Political party	Democratic
Education	John Carroll University (BA); Cleveland State University (JD)

Michael Patrick Donnelly (born August 30, 1966) is an American lawyer who has served as a justice of the Supreme Court of Ohio since 2019. He formerly served as a judge of the Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas from 2005 to 2019. Donnelly is running for re-election to his seat in 2024.

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]

Career

Before serving on the Court of Common Pleas, Donnelly was an assistant Cuyahoga County Prosecutor from 1992 to 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 to 1999 and then Climaco, Lefkowitz, Peca, Wilcox & Garofoli from 1999 to 2004.^[3]

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 Canton, Ohio 61 percent to 39 percent.^[6]^[7]

During his tenure, 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 resides in Cleveland Heights, Ohio with his wife Nancy and two children.^[9]

References

^ ^a ^b "Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court". cp.cuyahogacounty.us. Archived from the original on November 13, 2018. Retrieved November 13, 2018.
^ Borchardt, Jackie (November 5, 2018). "Ohio 2018 election: Who's running for Ohio Supreme Court?". Cincinnati.com. Archived from the original on March 28, 2019. Retrieved November 13, 2018.
^ "Judge Michael P. Donnelly". Ohio Democratic County Chairs Association. January 4, 2018. Archived from the original on November 13, 2018. Retrieved November 13, 2018.
^ "Justice Michael P. Donnelly". Archived from the original on April 19, 2022. Retrieved May 23, 2020.
^ Ludlow, Randy (January 3, 2018). "Cleveland judge announces Ohio Supreme Court candidacy". The Columbus Dispatch. Archived from the original on November 13, 2018. Retrieved November 13, 2018.
^ Saker, Anne (November 6, 2018). "Ohio Supreme Court: Democrats break Republican lock, pick up two seats". Cincinnati.com. Archived from the original on July 3, 2019. Retrieved November 13, 2018.
^ "Democrats win Supreme Court; Republicans Appeals Court - Pomeroy Daily Sentinel". Pomeroy Daily Sentinel. November 7, 2018. Archived from the original on November 13, 2018. Retrieved November 13, 2018.
^ "Ohio Supreme Court says takeover of schools was constitutional". May 14, 2020. Archived from the original on May 24, 2020. Retrieved May 30, 2020.
^ "Justice Michael P. Donnelly". Archived from the original on April 19, 2022. Retrieved January 17, 2024.