Hon. Daniel R. Hawkins

Hon. Daniel R. Hawkins is a judge for the Franklin County Court of Common Pleas (General Division) in Ohio. He was elected to the seat on November 6, 2018.

Prior to his election, Hawkins presided as a judge in the Environmental Division of the Franklin County Municipal Court, a position he had held since 2013.

He received a B.S. in criminal justice from Bowling Green State University in 1998. Hawkins went on to complete a J.D. at Ohio State University, Michael E. Moritz College of Law in 2001.

After graduating from law school, he began his legal career as an assistant prosecuting attorney with the Franklin County Prosecutor’s Office. During his tenure there, Hawkins was promoted to director of the Special Victims Unit in 2003. In that role, he prosecuted violent crimes involving women and children as victims, including homicides, sexual assaults, child abuse, human trafficking, and internet child exploitation. In addition, Hawkins was tasked with managing fellow prosecutors in the SVU and was credited with conducting several jury trials including six death penalty cases. He remained in that capacity until joining the Municipal Court bench in 2013.

His memberships have included the American Judges Association, the Ohio Judicial Conference, the Association of Municipal County Judges of Ohio, the Ohio State Bar Association, and the Columbus Bar Association.

Hawkins is a married father of three.