Assistant Professor of Law, Capital University Law School
Nathaniel M. Fouch is an Assistant Professor of Law at Capital University Law School in Columbus, Ohio. He previously clerked at every level of the state judiciary, including for Justice Pat DeWine of the Ohio Supreme Court. Professor Fouch was the founding president of both the Dayton Lawyers Chapter of the Federalist Society and the Dayton Catholic Lawyers Guild. He earned his B.A. from Berea College and his J.D. cum laude from the University of St. Thomas School of Law. His work on the Ohio Constitution and state constitutionalism has been cited by the Ohio Supreme Court. Professor Fouch lives in Dayton, Ohio, with his wife, Theresa, and their three young children.
Litigation Fellow, Institute for Justice
Tahmineh Dehbozorgi is a Litigation Fellow at the Institute for Justice. Prior to joining IJ, Tahmineh served as a summer associate at AT&T Global Public Policy, where she focused on cybersecurity and consumer privacy regulatory matters. She also gained valuable legal experience as a law clerk at the Federal Communications Commission, where she worked on communications law and regulatory processes. She also served as a law clerk for the New Civil Liberties Alliance, where she concentrated on administrative law and impact litigation.
Tahmineh earned her J.D. from The George Washington University Law School, with a concentration in National Security and Cybersecurity Law. While at GW Law, she served as a Research Assistant to Professor Robert J. Cottrol and contributed to the book “To Trust the People with Arms: The Supreme Court and the Second Amendment.” Tahmineh also earned the silver medal at the 30th Annual National Telecommunications and Technology Moot Court Competition in 2023. In 2024, she received the President’s Volunteer Service Award from President Joseph R. Biden for her exemplary pro bono work. Tahmineh received her Bachelor of Arts in political science with a concentration in international relations magna cum laude from the University of California, Los Angeles. In 2020, she was awarded UCLA Chancellor’s Service Award.
Tahmineh spent her childhood in Iran. On 4th of July 2015, she left everything behind and came to the United States to seek freedom. Her upbringing ignites an unyielding passion to defend civil liberties and separation of powers.
In addition to her legal career, Tahmineh is a multilingual author with a background in public relations and media. Her writings have appeared in prominent outlets such as Fox News, National Review, RealClear Defense, and the Orange County Register, etc. Outside of her professional endeavors, Tahmineh is a classical musician and has been a member of The George Washington University Chamber Ensemble and UCLA Chorale.
Senior Associate Legal Fellow, The Buckeye Institute
Alex M. Certo is a Senior Associate Legal Fellow at The Buckeye Institute. In this role, Certo advances Buckeye’s public policy efforts by litigating cases that protect individuals’ rights and by contributing to more than 75 amicus briefs filed with the U.S. Supreme Court, as well as dozens of amicus briefs in state and lower federal courts. Additionally, Certo supports Buckeye’s policy work by analyzing the legal implications of proposed and pending legislation and by testifying before Ohio legislative committees.
Certo has been a member of the Federalist Society since 2019 and currently serves on the board of the Columbus Lawyers chapter, where he is vice president.
Certo’s legal experience includes working as a judicial extern for the Supreme Court of Ohio and as a summer extern in the Investigations Division of the Allegheny County District Attorney’s Office. Certo also worked as a law clerk for Agee, Clymer, Mitchell & Portman in Columbus, Ohio, focusing on workers’ compensation litigation.
Certo received his bachelor’s degree from Slippery Rock University and his Juris Doctor (magna cum laude) from Capital University Law School. In law school, Certo served on the associate board of the Capital University Law Review and competed on the Child Welfare and Adoption Law Moot Court team. Certo was the president of Capital’s Federalist Society chapter and vice president of the Labor and Employment Law Association. Certo also served as a teaching assistant for Capital’s Second Amendment course and a research assistant for a pair of faculty-written articles on public safety. Certo was awarded the CALI Excellence for the Future Award in Patent Law and the Ronald I. Friedman Memorial Service Award, and he was inducted into The Order of Barristers.
Before law school, Certo worked as a staff accountant. His work focused on preparing individual and small business tax filings and assisting small business owners with daily accounting needs.
Justice, Supreme Court of Ohio
Justice Joseph T. Deters is the 163rd justice of the Supreme Court of Ohio. He took office in January 2023, following appointment by Governor Mike DeWine.
Prior to joining the Court, Justice Deters served as the longest-tenured prosecutor in Hamilton County. He held the position twice from 1992-1999 and 2005-2023.
During his time as prosecutor, Justice Deters established the first drug court in Ohio, in partnership with Hamilton County Common Pleas Court. The Hamilton County Drug Treatment and Recovery Court handles more cases than any other specialized docket in the state.
Justice Deters established the county’s first victim/witness advocate program and helped develop several diversion programs for first time non-violent offenders. He started a sex offender unit within the prosecutor’s office to monitor offender registration and compliance. He formed a unit focused on violent crimes against women and children.
Justice Deters was elected statewide as Ohio Treasurer for two terms, in 1998 and 2002. As treasurer, he was responsible for collecting, managing, and investing more than $11 billion in assets for the state.
He served as Hamilton County Clerk of Courts from 1988-1992. The justice spent the first six years of his legal career as an assistant Hamilton County prosecutor.
Justice Deters received his undergraduate and law degrees from the University of Cincinnati, where he was recognized as a distinguished alumnus. He is a member of the Cincinnati Bar Association and various civic organizations. He previously served on the University of Cincinnati Board of Trustees, Ohio Organized Crime Commission, and the Southern Ohio Leukemia Foundation.
Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court
Michael P. Donnelly is a judge on the Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas General Division in Cleveland, Ohio. He first joined the court on January 3, 2005. Donnelly won re-election to a third consecutive term in the general election on November 8, 2016. His current term expires January 2, 2023.
Donnelly received his undergraduate degree from John Carroll University and his J.D. from the Cleveland-Marshall College of Law. He was admitted to the Ohio Bar in 1992 and began working as an assistant prosecutor for Cuyahoga County. In 1997, he left that role to become an attorney at the firm of Davis & Young, where he worked until 1999. He then joined the firm of Climaco, Lefkowitz, Peca, Wilcox & Garofoli, working as a private practice attorney until his election to the common pleas bench in 2004.
In 2011, Donnelly participated in a program with the National Judicial College called "Innovative Leadership/Management Skills for Future Court Leaders". In 2012, Donnelly served as the Chair of Commission on Professionalism.
Judge, 8th District Court of Appeals, State of Ohio
Judge Lisa Forbes was elected to the Eighth District Court of Appeals on November 3, 2020. Prior to joining the bench, Judge Forbes was a partner in the Cleveland office of the law firm Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease LLP where she practiced in the area of complex litigation. As a litigator, Judge Forbes represented clients in state and federal trial and appellate courts throughout Ohio for 27 years.
Throughout her career, Judge Forbes has been an active and engaged member of the Northeast Ohio community including serving on the boards of the Centers for Families and Children and Circle Health for over a decade. She is currently the chair of both boards. In addition, while practicing, she regularly wrote and presented on developments in and application of the law.
Judge Forbes graduated summa cum laude from Case Western Reserve University School of Law in 1992. She served first as an associate editor on the law review and then as Executive Notes Editor. Judge Forbes majored in public policy at Cornell University, graduating in 1985 with a Bachelor of Science degree.
Judge Forbes is excited to bring her passion for and love of the law to the Eighth District Court of Appeals.
Judge, Franklin County Court
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.
Judge, Hamilton County Courts
Hon. Megan E. Shanahan is a judge for the Hamilton County Court of Common Pleas (General Division) in Ohio. She was appointed to the bench by former Governor John Kasich on March 6, 2015 to fill the vacancy created by the Hon. Ralph E. Winkler after his election to the Hamilton County Court of Common Pleas Probate Division.
Prior to her appointment, Shanahan had presided as a judge for the Hamilton County Municipal Court, a position to which she was elected in 2011.
She received a B.A. in political science from Kent State University in 1995. SHanahan went on to complete a J.D. at the University of Cincinnati College of Law in 2000.
After graduating from law school, she began her legal career as an assistant prosecutor with the Butler county Prosecutor’s Office, where she served in the appellate, municipal, and trial divisions and prosecuted cases involving the violation of the obscenity law as well as child pornography cases. In 2005, Shanahan moved to the Hamilton County Prosecutor’s Office. During her tenure in that position, she prosecuted child predators and served in the Felony Trial Division.
Her legal career also included acting as a prosecutor for the Mt. Healthy Mayor’s Court.
Shanahan received the Peggy Caldwell Award ini 20009.
From a civic standpoint, she has been a supporter of the Cincinnati Living Hope organization which provides transitional housing or homeless women and children.
She was born and raised in western Pennsylvania, the youngest of eight children. At the time of her appointment, Shanahan and her family resided in Cincinnati.
Ohio Eighth District Court of Appeals
Elected to the Ohio Court of Appeals – Eighth Appellate District in 2006 and twice reelected, Judge Melody Stewart has over 30 years of combined administrative, legal, and academic experience in a number of private and public settings. She has been an administrator for a healthcare management company, a music teacher, a civil defense litigator, and a law school administrator and professor. She served as the Administrative Judge for the Court of Appeals in 2013.
Judge Stewart earned a Bachelor of Music degree from the College-Conservatory of Music at the University of Cincinnati; her law degree as a Patricia Roberts Harris Fellow from the Cleveland-Marshall College of Law, Cleveland State University; and her Ph.D. as a Mandel Leadership Fellow at Case Western Reserve University’s Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences.
After practicing law as an assistant law director for the cities of Cleveland and East Cleveland, Judge Stewart worked as a lecturer, an adjunct instructor, and an assistant dean at Cleveland-Marshall College of Law before joining the faculty. Her primary teaching areas were ethics and professional responsibility, criminal law, criminal procedure, and legal research, writing, and advocacy. Additionally, she taught at the University of Toledo College of Law, at Ursuline College, and was Director of Student Services at Case Western Reserve University’s School of Law.
Judge Stewart has served on many boards of trustees and been a member of various professional, educational, civic, and community organizations. She also served as a commissioner and chair of the Board of Planning and Zoning for the city of Euclid. Recently Judge Stewart served as a member of the Ohio Criminal Justice Recodification Committee. She is currently a member of the board of the Ohio Supreme Court’s Judicial College and is chair of the Ohio Capital Case Attorney Fee Council. Judge Stewart is admitted to practice in the state and federal courts in Ohio, the District of Columbia, and the United States Supreme Court.
Professor of Law, University of Michigan Law School
Christopher J. Walker is a Professor of Law at the University of Michigan. Prior to joining Michigan law faculty in 2022, he spent a decade teaching at The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law. He previously clerked for Justice Anthony Kennedy of the U.S. Supreme Court, worked on the Civil Appellate Staff at the U.S. Department of Justice, and served on the Senate Judiciary Committee staff for the Gorsuch Supreme Court confirmation. Professor Walker’s research focuses on administrative law, regulation, and law and policy at the agency level. Outside the law school, he chaired the American Bar Association’s Section of Administrative Law and Regulatory Practice in 2020-21 and served as one of forty Public Members of the Administrative Conference of the United States from 2016-2022, and he continues to serve in both organizations in various capacities. He also works of counsel at the U.S. Chamber Litigation Center. In 2022, he received the Federalist Society’s Joseph Story Award.
Justice, Supreme Court of Ohio
Justice Joseph T. Deters is the 163rd justice of the Supreme Court of Ohio. He took office in January 2023, following appointment by Governor Mike DeWine.
Prior to joining the Court, Justice Deters served as the longest-tenured prosecutor in Hamilton County. He held the position twice from 1992-1999 and 2005-2023.
During his time as prosecutor, Justice Deters established the first drug court in Ohio, in partnership with Hamilton County Common Pleas Court. The Hamilton County Drug Treatment and Recovery Court handles more cases than any other specialized docket in the state.
Justice Deters established the county’s first victim/witness advocate program and helped develop several diversion programs for first time non-violent offenders. He started a sex offender unit within the prosecutor’s office to monitor offender registration and compliance. He formed a unit focused on violent crimes against women and children.
Justice Deters was elected statewide as Ohio Treasurer for two terms, in 1998 and 2002. As treasurer, he was responsible for collecting, managing, and investing more than $11 billion in assets for the state.
He served as Hamilton County Clerk of Courts from 1988-1992. The justice spent the first six years of his legal career as an assistant Hamilton County prosecutor.
Justice Deters received his undergraduate and law degrees from the University of Cincinnati, where he was recognized as a distinguished alumnus. He is a member of the Cincinnati Bar Association and various civic organizations. He previously served on the University of Cincinnati Board of Trustees, Ohio Organized Crime Commission, and the Southern Ohio Leukemia Foundation.
Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court
Michael P. Donnelly is a judge on the Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas General Division in Cleveland, Ohio. He first joined the court on January 3, 2005. Donnelly won re-election to a third consecutive term in the general election on November 8, 2016. His current term expires January 2, 2023.
Donnelly received his undergraduate degree from John Carroll University and his J.D. from the Cleveland-Marshall College of Law. He was admitted to the Ohio Bar in 1992 and began working as an assistant prosecutor for Cuyahoga County. In 1997, he left that role to become an attorney at the firm of Davis & Young, where he worked until 1999. He then joined the firm of Climaco, Lefkowitz, Peca, Wilcox & Garofoli, working as a private practice attorney until his election to the common pleas bench in 2004.
In 2011, Donnelly participated in a program with the National Judicial College called "Innovative Leadership/Management Skills for Future Court Leaders". In 2012, Donnelly served as the Chair of Commission on Professionalism.
Judge, 8th District Court of Appeals, State of Ohio
Judge Lisa Forbes was elected to the Eighth District Court of Appeals on November 3, 2020. Prior to joining the bench, Judge Forbes was a partner in the Cleveland office of the law firm Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease LLP where she practiced in the area of complex litigation. As a litigator, Judge Forbes represented clients in state and federal trial and appellate courts throughout Ohio for 27 years.
Throughout her career, Judge Forbes has been an active and engaged member of the Northeast Ohio community including serving on the boards of the Centers for Families and Children and Circle Health for over a decade. She is currently the chair of both boards. In addition, while practicing, she regularly wrote and presented on developments in and application of the law.
Judge Forbes graduated summa cum laude from Case Western Reserve University School of Law in 1992. She served first as an associate editor on the law review and then as Executive Notes Editor. Judge Forbes majored in public policy at Cornell University, graduating in 1985 with a Bachelor of Science degree.
Judge Forbes is excited to bring her passion for and love of the law to the Eighth District Court of Appeals.
Judge, Franklin County Court
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.
Judge, Hamilton County Courts
Hon. Megan E. Shanahan is a judge for the Hamilton County Court of Common Pleas (General Division) in Ohio. She was appointed to the bench by former Governor John Kasich on March 6, 2015 to fill the vacancy created by the Hon. Ralph E. Winkler after his election to the Hamilton County Court of Common Pleas Probate Division.
Prior to her appointment, Shanahan had presided as a judge for the Hamilton County Municipal Court, a position to which she was elected in 2011.
She received a B.A. in political science from Kent State University in 1995. SHanahan went on to complete a J.D. at the University of Cincinnati College of Law in 2000.
After graduating from law school, she began her legal career as an assistant prosecutor with the Butler county Prosecutor’s Office, where she served in the appellate, municipal, and trial divisions and prosecuted cases involving the violation of the obscenity law as well as child pornography cases. In 2005, Shanahan moved to the Hamilton County Prosecutor’s Office. During her tenure in that position, she prosecuted child predators and served in the Felony Trial Division.
Her legal career also included acting as a prosecutor for the Mt. Healthy Mayor’s Court.
Shanahan received the Peggy Caldwell Award ini 20009.
From a civic standpoint, she has been a supporter of the Cincinnati Living Hope organization which provides transitional housing or homeless women and children.
She was born and raised in western Pennsylvania, the youngest of eight children. At the time of her appointment, Shanahan and her family resided in Cincinnati.
Ohio Eighth District Court of Appeals
Elected to the Ohio Court of Appeals – Eighth Appellate District in 2006 and twice reelected, Judge Melody Stewart has over 30 years of combined administrative, legal, and academic experience in a number of private and public settings. She has been an administrator for a healthcare management company, a music teacher, a civil defense litigator, and a law school administrator and professor. She served as the Administrative Judge for the Court of Appeals in 2013.
Judge Stewart earned a Bachelor of Music degree from the College-Conservatory of Music at the University of Cincinnati; her law degree as a Patricia Roberts Harris Fellow from the Cleveland-Marshall College of Law, Cleveland State University; and her Ph.D. as a Mandel Leadership Fellow at Case Western Reserve University’s Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences.
After practicing law as an assistant law director for the cities of Cleveland and East Cleveland, Judge Stewart worked as a lecturer, an adjunct instructor, and an assistant dean at Cleveland-Marshall College of Law before joining the faculty. Her primary teaching areas were ethics and professional responsibility, criminal law, criminal procedure, and legal research, writing, and advocacy. Additionally, she taught at the University of Toledo College of Law, at Ursuline College, and was Director of Student Services at Case Western Reserve University’s School of Law.
Judge Stewart has served on many boards of trustees and been a member of various professional, educational, civic, and community organizations. She also served as a commissioner and chair of the Board of Planning and Zoning for the city of Euclid. Recently Judge Stewart served as a member of the Ohio Criminal Justice Recodification Committee. She is currently a member of the board of the Ohio Supreme Court’s Judicial College and is chair of the Ohio Capital Case Attorney Fee Council. Judge Stewart is admitted to practice in the state and federal courts in Ohio, the District of Columbia, and the United States Supreme Court.
Professor of Law, University of Michigan Law School
Christopher J. Walker is a Professor of Law at the University of Michigan. Prior to joining Michigan law faculty in 2022, he spent a decade teaching at The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law. He previously clerked for Justice Anthony Kennedy of the U.S. Supreme Court, worked on the Civil Appellate Staff at the U.S. Department of Justice, and served on the Senate Judiciary Committee staff for the Gorsuch Supreme Court confirmation. Professor Walker’s research focuses on administrative law, regulation, and law and policy at the agency level. Outside the law school, he chaired the American Bar Association’s Section of Administrative Law and Regulatory Practice in 2020-21 and served as one of forty Public Members of the Administrative Conference of the United States from 2016-2022, and he continues to serve in both organizations in various capacities. He also works of counsel at the U.S. Chamber Litigation Center. In 2022, he received the Federalist Society’s Joseph Story Award.
Attorney At Law, Ashbrook Byrne Kresge Flowers LLC
Ben litigates cases in state and federal courts at the trial and appellate levels. He represents businesses, individuals, and amici. Before joining ABKF, he served as a law clerk to the Honorable Matthew W. McFarland on the Southern District of Ohio and the Honorable Patrick DeWine on the Ohio Supreme Court, and as a litigation and antitrust associate at an Am Law 100 firm. He received his J.D. at the University of Cincinnati College of Law, where he served as the Editor-in-Chief of the University of Cincinnati Law Review.
Senior Associate Legal Fellow, The Buckeye Institute
Alex M. Certo is a Senior Associate Legal Fellow at The Buckeye Institute. In this role, Certo advances Buckeye’s public policy efforts by litigating cases that protect individuals’ rights and by contributing to more than 75 amicus briefs filed with the U.S. Supreme Court, as well as dozens of amicus briefs in state and lower federal courts. Additionally, Certo supports Buckeye’s policy work by analyzing the legal implications of proposed and pending legislation and by testifying before Ohio legislative committees.
Certo has been a member of the Federalist Society since 2019 and currently serves on the board of the Columbus Lawyers chapter, where he is vice president.
Certo’s legal experience includes working as a judicial extern for the Supreme Court of Ohio and as a summer extern in the Investigations Division of the Allegheny County District Attorney’s Office. Certo also worked as a law clerk for Agee, Clymer, Mitchell & Portman in Columbus, Ohio, focusing on workers’ compensation litigation.
Certo received his bachelor’s degree from Slippery Rock University and his Juris Doctor (magna cum laude) from Capital University Law School. In law school, Certo served on the associate board of the Capital University Law Review and competed on the Child Welfare and Adoption Law Moot Court team. Certo was the president of Capital’s Federalist Society chapter and vice president of the Labor and Employment Law Association. Certo also served as a teaching assistant for Capital’s Second Amendment course and a research assistant for a pair of faculty-written articles on public safety. Certo was awarded the CALI Excellence for the Future Award in Patent Law and the Ronald I. Friedman Memorial Service Award, and he was inducted into The Order of Barristers.
Before law school, Certo worked as a staff accountant. His work focused on preparing individual and small business tax filings and assisting small business owners with daily accounting needs.
Director of the Center for Judicial Engagement, Institute for Justice
Anthony Sanders is the Director of the Center for Judicial Engagement (CJE) at the Institute for Justice and a senior attorney. He joined IJ in 2010. As CJE’s director, he educates the public about the proper role of judges in enforcing constitutional limits on the size and scope of government. As a senior attorney he litigates cutting-edge constitutional cases protecting economic liberty, private property, freedom of speech and other individual liberties in both federal and state courts across the country.
One area of Anthony’s expertise is on using state constitutions to protect individual rights. He is the author of the book, published by University of Michigan Press, Baby Ninth Amendments: How Americans Embraced Unenumerated Rights and Why It Matters. He has also written several law review articles on state constitutional law, unenumerated rights, judicial review, economic liberty, property rights, international law, and other subjects. His work has appeared in publications such as the Iowa Law Review, Minnesota Law Review, American University Law Review, and Rutgers Law Review, and he has published opinion pieces in leading media outlets across the country. Further, he frequently speaks to various audiences on these matters and others, including judicial engagement, free speech, civil forfeiture, and the continuing importance of Magna Carta. Additionally, he hosts the weekly Short Circuit podcast, which often records live in front of law student audiences.
Anthony has litigated several cases in various state courts on state constitutional protections, as well as in federal courts on matters such as economic liberty, free speech, administrative law, and fines and fees abuse. Prior to joining IJ, Anthony served as a law clerk to Justice W. William Leaphart on the Montana Supreme Court. Anthony also worked for several years in private practice in Chicago where he was an active member of the Chicago Bar Association and chaired its Civil Rights Committee.
Anthony received his law degree cum laude from the University of Minnesota Law School in 2004, where he served as an articles submission editor for the Minnesota Law Review. He received his undergraduate degree from Hamline University in St. Paul, Minnesota, and his master’s degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. A dual U.S. and U.K. citizen, Anthony grew up on the islands of Vashon in Washington State, and Alderney in the British Channel Islands.
Associate, Baker & Hostetler LLP
Renee Knudsen is an associate at Baker & Hostetler LLP. She is a member of the Appellate and Major Motions practice group, where she works on high-stakes constitutional and administrative law issues, among other subjects. She has experience working on appeals in nearly every federal court of appeals and regularly drafts briefs to every level of the federal judiciary.
Before joining BakerHostetler, Renee clerked for Judge Leslie Southwick on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit and for Judge Claude Hilton on the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia.
Renee graduated summa cum laude from Regent University School of Law, where she served as a Managing Editor for law review and was an award-winning moot court advocate.
Justice, Supreme Court of Ohio
Justice Joseph T. Deters is the 163rd justice of the Supreme Court of Ohio. He took office in January 2023, following appointment by Governor Mike DeWine.
Prior to joining the Court, Justice Deters served as the longest-tenured prosecutor in Hamilton County. He held the position twice from 1992-1999 and 2005-2023.
During his time as prosecutor, Justice Deters established the first drug court in Ohio, in partnership with Hamilton County Common Pleas Court. The Hamilton County Drug Treatment and Recovery Court handles more cases than any other specialized docket in the state.
Justice Deters established the county’s first victim/witness advocate program and helped develop several diversion programs for first time non-violent offenders. He started a sex offender unit within the prosecutor’s office to monitor offender registration and compliance. He formed a unit focused on violent crimes against women and children.
Justice Deters was elected statewide as Ohio Treasurer for two terms, in 1998 and 2002. As treasurer, he was responsible for collecting, managing, and investing more than $11 billion in assets for the state.
He served as Hamilton County Clerk of Courts from 1988-1992. The justice spent the first six years of his legal career as an assistant Hamilton County prosecutor.
Justice Deters received his undergraduate and law degrees from the University of Cincinnati, where he was recognized as a distinguished alumnus. He is a member of the Cincinnati Bar Association and various civic organizations. He previously served on the University of Cincinnati Board of Trustees, Ohio Organized Crime Commission, and the Southern Ohio Leukemia Foundation.
Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court
Michael P. Donnelly is a judge on the Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas General Division in Cleveland, Ohio. He first joined the court on January 3, 2005. Donnelly won re-election to a third consecutive term in the general election on November 8, 2016. His current term expires January 2, 2023.
Donnelly received his undergraduate degree from John Carroll University and his J.D. from the Cleveland-Marshall College of Law. He was admitted to the Ohio Bar in 1992 and began working as an assistant prosecutor for Cuyahoga County. In 1997, he left that role to become an attorney at the firm of Davis & Young, where he worked until 1999. He then joined the firm of Climaco, Lefkowitz, Peca, Wilcox & Garofoli, working as a private practice attorney until his election to the common pleas bench in 2004.
In 2011, Donnelly participated in a program with the National Judicial College called "Innovative Leadership/Management Skills for Future Court Leaders". In 2012, Donnelly served as the Chair of Commission on Professionalism.
Judge, 8th District Court of Appeals, State of Ohio
Judge Lisa Forbes was elected to the Eighth District Court of Appeals on November 3, 2020. Prior to joining the bench, Judge Forbes was a partner in the Cleveland office of the law firm Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease LLP where she practiced in the area of complex litigation. As a litigator, Judge Forbes represented clients in state and federal trial and appellate courts throughout Ohio for 27 years.
Throughout her career, Judge Forbes has been an active and engaged member of the Northeast Ohio community including serving on the boards of the Centers for Families and Children and Circle Health for over a decade. She is currently the chair of both boards. In addition, while practicing, she regularly wrote and presented on developments in and application of the law.
Judge Forbes graduated summa cum laude from Case Western Reserve University School of Law in 1992. She served first as an associate editor on the law review and then as Executive Notes Editor. Judge Forbes majored in public policy at Cornell University, graduating in 1985 with a Bachelor of Science degree.
Judge Forbes is excited to bring her passion for and love of the law to the Eighth District Court of Appeals.
Judge, Franklin County Court
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.
Judge, Hamilton County Courts
Hon. Megan E. Shanahan is a judge for the Hamilton County Court of Common Pleas (General Division) in Ohio. She was appointed to the bench by former Governor John Kasich on March 6, 2015 to fill the vacancy created by the Hon. Ralph E. Winkler after his election to the Hamilton County Court of Common Pleas Probate Division.
Prior to her appointment, Shanahan had presided as a judge for the Hamilton County Municipal Court, a position to which she was elected in 2011.
She received a B.A. in political science from Kent State University in 1995. SHanahan went on to complete a J.D. at the University of Cincinnati College of Law in 2000.
After graduating from law school, she began her legal career as an assistant prosecutor with the Butler county Prosecutor’s Office, where she served in the appellate, municipal, and trial divisions and prosecuted cases involving the violation of the obscenity law as well as child pornography cases. In 2005, Shanahan moved to the Hamilton County Prosecutor’s Office. During her tenure in that position, she prosecuted child predators and served in the Felony Trial Division.
Her legal career also included acting as a prosecutor for the Mt. Healthy Mayor’s Court.
Shanahan received the Peggy Caldwell Award ini 20009.
From a civic standpoint, she has been a supporter of the Cincinnati Living Hope organization which provides transitional housing or homeless women and children.
She was born and raised in western Pennsylvania, the youngest of eight children. At the time of her appointment, Shanahan and her family resided in Cincinnati.
Ohio Eighth District Court of Appeals
Elected to the Ohio Court of Appeals – Eighth Appellate District in 2006 and twice reelected, Judge Melody Stewart has over 30 years of combined administrative, legal, and academic experience in a number of private and public settings. She has been an administrator for a healthcare management company, a music teacher, a civil defense litigator, and a law school administrator and professor. She served as the Administrative Judge for the Court of Appeals in 2013.
Judge Stewart earned a Bachelor of Music degree from the College-Conservatory of Music at the University of Cincinnati; her law degree as a Patricia Roberts Harris Fellow from the Cleveland-Marshall College of Law, Cleveland State University; and her Ph.D. as a Mandel Leadership Fellow at Case Western Reserve University’s Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences.
After practicing law as an assistant law director for the cities of Cleveland and East Cleveland, Judge Stewart worked as a lecturer, an adjunct instructor, and an assistant dean at Cleveland-Marshall College of Law before joining the faculty. Her primary teaching areas were ethics and professional responsibility, criminal law, criminal procedure, and legal research, writing, and advocacy. Additionally, she taught at the University of Toledo College of Law, at Ursuline College, and was Director of Student Services at Case Western Reserve University’s School of Law.
Judge Stewart has served on many boards of trustees and been a member of various professional, educational, civic, and community organizations. She also served as a commissioner and chair of the Board of Planning and Zoning for the city of Euclid. Recently Judge Stewart served as a member of the Ohio Criminal Justice Recodification Committee. She is currently a member of the board of the Ohio Supreme Court’s Judicial College and is chair of the Ohio Capital Case Attorney Fee Council. Judge Stewart is admitted to practice in the state and federal courts in Ohio, the District of Columbia, and the United States Supreme Court.
Professor of Law, University of Michigan Law School
Christopher J. Walker is a Professor of Law at the University of Michigan. Prior to joining Michigan law faculty in 2022, he spent a decade teaching at The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law. He previously clerked for Justice Anthony Kennedy of the U.S. Supreme Court, worked on the Civil Appellate Staff at the U.S. Department of Justice, and served on the Senate Judiciary Committee staff for the Gorsuch Supreme Court confirmation. Professor Walker’s research focuses on administrative law, regulation, and law and policy at the agency level. Outside the law school, he chaired the American Bar Association’s Section of Administrative Law and Regulatory Practice in 2020-21 and served as one of forty Public Members of the Administrative Conference of the United States from 2016-2022, and he continues to serve in both organizations in various capacities. He also works of counsel at the U.S. Chamber Litigation Center. In 2022, he received the Federalist Society’s Joseph Story Award.
Ohio Supreme Court Overrules “Lockstepping” Precedent, Finds State Constitution’s Open Courts Provision Applies to Juvenile Court Proceedings
Nathaniel M. Fouch
Since Ohio joined the Union in 1803, its state constitution has provided that “All...
Ohio Supreme Court Rules Police Can Extend Traffic Stops to Verify Driver’s License
Tahmineh Dehbozorgi
The Ohio Supreme Court’s decision in State v. Dunlap arose from a routine traffic stop...
Ohio Supreme Court Rules a Bone in “Boneless” Wing Doesn’t Make a Food Supplier Negligent
Alex Certo
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Panel 1: State Supreme Court Candidate Forum
Joseph T. Deters, Michael P. Donnelly, Lisa Forbes, Hon. Daniel R. Hawkins, Megan E. Shanahan, Melody Stewart, Christopher J. Walker
Featuring: Hon. Joseph Deters, Justice, Supreme Court of Ohio Hon. Michael Donnelly, Justice, Supreme Court of...
Panel 1: State Supreme Court Candidate Forum
Joseph T. Deters, Michael P. Donnelly, Lisa Forbes, Hon. Daniel R. Hawkins, Megan E. Shanahan, Melody Stewart, Christopher J. Walker
Featuring: Hon. Joseph Deters, Justice, Supreme Court of Ohio Hon. Michael Donnelly, Justice, Supreme Court of...
Panel 1: State Supreme Court Candidate Forum
2024 Ohio Conference
Columbus, OHOhio Supreme Court Rules Tax Exemptions Will No Longer Be Strictly Construed Against Taxpayers
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