Eric Brown

Eric S. Brown was the ninth chief justice of the Supreme Court of Ohio. Governor Ted Strickland appointed Brown to serve as chief justice to complete the term of Chief Justice Thomas J. Moyer, who died in office on April 2, 2010.

Brown’s career in public service spans more than 30 years, focusing on protecting the community and families, based on values derived from his parents and his Jewish faith. His experience has ranged from owning businesses to serving on school boards, as an assistant attorney general, and judge presiding over the busiest courts in our state.

Brown came to the Supreme Court from the Franklin County Probate Court, where he presided over the largest single-judge court in Ohio, with a staff of fifty employees, including seven magistrates.

In June 2009, Judge Brown was named an ASTAR Fellow after completing the two-year Advanced Science and Technology Adjudication Resource program, designed to prepare judges to preside over cases involving complex science and technology issues and serve as a resource to other judges.

Having served as a judge and magistrate in the Franklin County Court of Common Pleas, General Division, Brown he presided over a large caseload consisting of criminal felony cases, substantial civil disputes, administrative appeals, and a wide variety of other matters, including serving as the probate judge in a significant guardianship case.

Brown served on the Supreme Court Commission on the Rules of Practice & Procedure, the Ohio Judicial Conference Probate Law & Procedure Committee, and the Franklin County Criminal Justice Planning Board, which provides oversight for criminal and juvenile justice programs funded through Franklin County.

As an attorney, Ohio Assistant Attorney General Eric Brown served for 11 years protecting consumers from fraud and from tobacco marketing. As assistant and acting chief of the Consumer Protection Section, he successfully managed a staff of seventy, including lawyers, investigators, consumer specialists, and support staff. As Tobacco Litigation Counsel, he helped lead the largest litigation in Ohio history, coordinating the work of six law firms serving as outside counsel, and coordinating efforts of Ohio and more than forty other states.

Brown started his legal career in a private law practice in his hometown of Cleveland, handling various legal matters in civil and criminal litigation, business, real estate, and probate law. Brown was one of the first lawyers in Ohio to develop a law practice serving the needs of older adults and their families.

Brown served for nearly 15 years as an elected public school board member for Mayfield City Schools. For a decade, he served the Cuyahoga County Bar Association as treasurer, chair of the budget and management committee, and elected trustee. Brown owned and operated several businesses in Greater Cleveland and was honored by the Mayfield Area Chamber of Commerce as Business Person of the Year.

Brown received a bachelor's degree in history from Cleveland State University in 1975 and a law degree from the Cleveland-Marshall College of Law in 1979. Brown shares his passion for public service with his wife of over 37 years, Franklin County Commissioner Marilyn Brown. They are members of Congregation Tifereth Israel in Columbus.

The Browns share two daughters and three grandsons. Daryn, a stage manager and event planner in New York City, and Beryl, a lawyer at the Ohio Industrial Commission and a graduate of the Moritz College of Law at The Ohio State University.

[November 2010]