Ohio Supreme Court Chief Justice Moyer dies at 70
Lead Summary
By
-
Ohio Supreme Court Chief Justice Moyer dies at 70
Ohio Supreme Court Chief Justice Thomas Moyer died Good Friday, April 2 at a Columbus hospital, where he was admitted on April 1.
Justice Moyer was the longest-serving sitting state Supreme Court chief justice in the United States, died Friday at age 70.
Moyer, a Republican, delivered the oath of office to Gov. Ted Strickland, a Democrat, in January 2007.
Gov. Strickland ordered flags at all Ohio public buildings and grounds to be flown at half-staff Monday, April 5 through the day of Justice Moyer's burial.
According to the Ohio Supreme Court Web site, Justice Moyer was a leader in providing citizens with improved access to the courts through alternative dispute resolution and computer technology. He sought to ensure equal access to the courts through the development of a certification process for interpreters for non-English speakers and the hearing-impaired.
Justice Moyer became Chief Justice in 1987. The Chief Justice also works with leaders of the judiciary and the General Assembly to develop family courts, a comprehensive approach to resolving criminal and civil issues confronting families. As chairman of the Ohio Criminal Sentencing Commission, Chief Justice Moyer led efforts to revise Ohio felony, misdemeanor, traffic and juvenile sentencing laws adopted by the General Assembly.
Justice Moyer received his law degree from Ohio State University in 1964, and served eight years as a judge of the Tenth District Court of Appeals in Franklin County, four years as executive assistant to the governor of Ohio and eight years in the private practice of law in Columbus.
Justice Moyer served as vice-chair of the Advanced Science and Technology Adjudication Resource Center (ASTAR), a national consortium to prepare judges for managing the resolution of disputes that present complex science issues. He also chairs the Task Force on Politics and Judicial Selection for the Conference of Chief Justices and co-chairs its Committee on Emergency Preparedness in the Courts.
He serves on the Board of Justice at Stake, a national organization that supports fair and impartial courts. In 2009, he also was appointed to the Advisory Committee of the O'Connor Judicial Selection Initiative.
In 1987, at the 300th Ohio State University commencement, he was recognized as one of 40 outstanding alumni. In August 2009, Chief Justice Moyer delivered the commencement address to about 1,900 graduates at Ohio State's summer quarter commencement.
In June 1989, the Chief Justice received the American Judicature Society Herbert Harley Award for improving the administration of justice in Ohio. In August 1995, he was named president of the Conference of Chief Justices for a one-year term. In January 2003, he was awarded the James F. Henry Award for exemplary alternative dispute resolution leadership in the state judiciary from the CPR Institute for Dispute Resolution. In addition, the National Client Protection Organization recognized Chief Justice Moyer with its 2008 Isaac Hecht Law Client Protection Award, given for demonstrated excellence in the field of law-client protection.
Ohio Supreme Court Chief Justice Thomas Moyer died Good Friday, April 2 at a Columbus hospital, where he was admitted on April 1.
Justice Moyer was the longest-serving sitting state Supreme Court chief justice in the United States, died Friday at age 70.
Moyer, a Republican, delivered the oath of office to Gov. Ted Strickland, a Democrat, in January 2007.
Gov. Strickland ordered flags at all Ohio public buildings and grounds to be flown at half-staff Monday, April 5 through the day of Justice Moyer's burial.
Gov. Strickland released the following statement on the passing of Ohio Supreme Court Chief Justice Thomas J.
Moyer. “I am saddened to learn of the passing of my friend and Ohio’s Chief Justice, Thomas Moyer. I was honored when Tom swore me in as governor. That was the beginning of a warm and close working relationship – the kind of mutually respectful relationship you always envision leaders of different branches of government having. But that was Tom: dignified, respectful, thoughtful and always concerned for the well-being of others.
"It was never about him. Tom unselfishly served the people of Ohio for so many years. I know he was very muchlooking forward to his retirement, but he loved what he did. In recent years, he was a leader and a partner in Ohio’s bipartisan efforts to fight foreclosure and to take a serious and comprehensive look at corrections reform. He spoke passionately and convincingly for reducing the influence of money in judicial elections.
“This is a sad time for Tom’s family and the people of Ohio. Frances and I offer our deepest condolences to his wife Mary, their family, his colleagues and the many Ohioans he served during his distinguished tenure as the longest-serving chief justice in the United States.”
According to the Ohio Supreme Court Web site, Justice Moyer was a leader in providing citizens with improved access to the courts through alternative dispute resolution and computer technology. He sought to ensure equal access to the courts through the development of a certification process for interpreters for non-English speakers and the hearing-impaired.
Justice Moyer became Chief Justice in 1987. The Chief Justice also works with leaders of the judiciary and the General Assembly to develop family courts, a comprehensive approach to resolving criminal and civil issues confronting families. As chairman of the Ohio Criminal Sentencing Commission, Chief Justice Moyer led efforts to revise Ohio felony, misdemeanor, traffic and juvenile sentencing laws adopted by the General Assembly.
Justice Moyer received his law degree from Ohio State University in 1964, and served eight years as a judge of the Tenth District Court of Appeals in Franklin County, four years as executive assistant to the governor of Ohio and eight years in the private practice of law in Columbus.
Justice Moyer served as vice-chair of the Advanced Science and Technology Adjudication Resource Center (ASTAR), a national consortium to prepare judges for managing the resolution of disputes that present complex science issues. He also chairs the Task Force on Politics and Judicial Selection for the Conference of Chief Justices and co-chairs its Committee on Emergency Preparedness in the Courts.
He serves on the Board of Justice at Stake, a national organization that supports fair and impartial courts. In 2009, he also was appointed to the Advisory Committee of the O'Connor Judicial Selection Initiative.
In 1987, at the 300th Ohio State University commencement, he was recognized as one of 40 outstanding alumni. In August 2009, Chief Justice Moyer delivered the commencement address to about 1,900 graduates at Ohio State's summer quarter commencement.
In June 1989, the Chief Justice received the American Judicature Society Herbert Harley Award for improving the administration of justice in Ohio.
In August 1995, he was named president of the Conference of Chief Justices for a one-year term. In January 2003, he was awarded the James F. Henry Award for exemplary alternative dispute resolution leadership in the state judiciary from the CPR Institute for Dispute Resolution. In addition, the National Client Protection Organization recognized Chief Justice Moyer with its 2008 Isaac Hecht Law Client Protection Award, given for demonstrated excellence in the field of law-client protection.