Articles - Sharon L. Kennedy

Ohio Supreme Court Justice Sharon L. Kennedy spoke to the Middletown American Association of University Women at their monthly meeting held on Monday, April 14, 2014, at the Midpointe Library.

Justice Kennedy began by talking about the overarching structure of Ohio government and the Ohio judicial system before delving into her experience with the Supreme Court and its inner workings.

"You have to like to read," she said, referring to the number of cases and amount of material that must be processed for every court conference. Preparation includes reading though briefs, jurisdictional appeals, non-jurisdictional appeals, and new opinions as they are drafted, in addition to researching the law and authoring her own written opinions on top of that.

"Approximately 2,000 cases make their way thought the Supreme Court system every year," she said.

Justice Kennedy also shared parts of her personal journey and what it took to become what she is today—the 154th justice of the Supreme Court of Ohio. She described her non-traditional path which started by serving as a police officer in Butler County, and eventually took her through law school, private legal practice, becoming a magistrate and domestic relations judge, and finally campaigning for and winning a seat on the state's highest court.

Justice Kennedy is serving her first term on the Supreme Court of Ohio. Prior to joining the Supreme Court, Justice Kennedy served on the Butler County Court of Common Pleas, Domestic Relations Division from 1999 to 2012. Justice Kennedy served as the administrative judge there from 2005 until December 2012. Justice Kennedy began her career in the justice system as a police officer in Hamilton, Ohio. She received her law degree from the University of Cincinnati College of Law.