John Shoemaker, the Chief Magistrate for the General Division, has served the Court since 1986. The Magistrate assists the General Division Judges by handling a variety of civil matters assigned to him via general and limited orders of reference. Under Civil Rule 53, the Magistrate can preside over bench and jury trials, and can handle any matters preliminary to litigation. In 2000, as part of his civil duties, the Magistrate presided over 8 jury trials and 23 bench trials. Under ORC 2903.214, effective 1998, persons are authorized to petition the Court for an anti-stalking civil protection order. The Magistrate has received references on the majority of these petitions. The Magistrate conducted ex parte and full hearings on 27 such petitions during 2000. Under Criminal Rule 19, the Magistrate can perform some criminal tasks. The Magistrate conducts all arraignments for the General Division Judges. The video arraignment procedure which commenced in 1998 continued in 2000. Out of a total of 3,711 defendants arraigned in 2000, 1,652 incarcerated inmates were arraigned by video closed circuit television. Since 1988, the Court has held Settlement Week in early June. In 2000, the Magistrate coordinated settlement week for the 12th year. Local attorneys volunteer as mediators to handle the settlement conferences. As a result of their efforts, ----165 cases were settled, which represents 45.5% of those submitted. Contact phone number: 330-643-8003

Tour the Courtroom of Magistrate John Shoemaker