Sharon Lee Kennedy (born March 15, 1962) is an American jurist from Hamilton, Ohio who serves as an associate justice of the

Ohio Supreme Court The Ohio Supreme Court, Officially known as The Supreme Court of the State of Ohio is the highest court in the U.S. state of Ohio, with final authority over interpretations of Ohio law and the Ohio Constitution. The court has seven members, a ...

, after being elected on November 6, 2012. In 2022, she was elected to serve as the Chief Justice of the Ohio Supreme Court.

Early life and education

Sharon L. Kennedy was born March 15, 1962 in Hamilton County, Ohio. She graduated from Northwest High School in 1980, and from the

University of Cincinnati The University of Cincinnati (UC or Cincinnati) is a public research university in Cincinnati, Ohio. Founded in 1819 as Cincinnati College, it is the oldest institution of higher education in Cincinnati and has an annual enrollment of over 44,0 ...

School of Social Work with a bachelor's degree in 1984 and she received a Juris Doctor from the

University of Cincinnati College of Law The University of Cincinnati College of Law was founded in 1833 as the Cincinnati Law School. It is the fourth oldest continuously running law school in the United States — after Harvard, the University of Virginia, and Yale — and the first in ...

in 1991.

Professional career

Kennedy was a police officer with the Hamilton, Ohio Police Department from 1985 to 1989. She was then a law clerk for Judge Matthew J. Crehan and director of the victim/witness division for the Butler County

Court of Common Pleas A court of common pleas is a common kind of court structure found in various common law jurisdictions. The form originated with the Court of Common Pleas at Westminster, which was created to permit individuals to press civil grievances against one ...

from 1989 to 1991. After graduating from law school, Kennedy was in private practice, 1991 to 1998; during the same time period she served as disciplinary counsel for the

Fraternal Order of Police The Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) is a fraternal organization consisting of sworn law enforcement officers in the United States. It reports a membership of over 355,000 members organized in 2,100 local chapters (lodges), state lodges, and th ...

, Lodge 38, representing police officers during disciplinary hearings. From 1995 to 1998, she was special counsel for then-

Ohio Attorney General The Ohio Attorney General is the chief legal officer of the State of Ohio in the United States. The office is filled by general election, held every four years. The Ohio Attorney General is Republican Dave Yost. History The office of the attor ...

Betty Montgomery. From 1995 to 1998, she was the magistrate and warrant officer for the Butler County Area Courts. From 1996 to 1997, she was a warrant and compliance officer of the Butler County Juvenile Court.

Judicial career

Butler County Court of Common Pleas

From 1999 to 2012, Kennedy was judge of the Court of Common Pleas, Domestic Relations Division, for Butler County. She also served concurrently as administrative judge from 2005 to 2012.

Ohio Supreme Court

Kennedy entered the March 6, 2012 Republican Party primary election for the unexpired term ending December 31, 2014, on the Supreme Court of Ohio. She ran unopposed, and received 753,072 votes. On November 6, 2012, she defeated

incumbent The incumbent is the current holder of an office or position, usually in relation to an election. In an election for president, the incumbent is the person holding or acting in the office of president before the election, whether seeking re-ele ...

Democratic candidate Yvette McGee Brown, who had been appointed to the seat on January 1, 2011, by Ohio Governor

Ted Strickland Theodore Strickland (born August 4, 1941) is an American politician who was the 68th governor of Ohio, serving from 2007 to 2011. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously served in the United States House of Representatives, representing ...

. She was sworn in December 7, 2012, after the election was certified.

Judicial ethics

Kennedy's ethics were questioned in 2022 after she spoke to a Republican organization and called the issue of redistricting "the fight of our life," and made accusations about progressive groups and individuals, including those who are parties to cases pending before the court.

2022 Campaign for chief justice

Kennedy, who was re-elected in 2020, ran to replace

Maureen O'Connor Maureen O'Connor (born August 7, 1951) is an American lawyer and judge serving as the chief justice of the Ohio Supreme Court. She was elected to the court in 2002, becoming chief justice in 2010. Prior to this, O'Connor served as an associate ...

as Chief Justice of the Ohio Supreme Court. Her opponent was fellow associate justice, Democrat Jennifer Brunner. Kennedy went on to win the race.

Personal

Kennedy is single. She lives in

Liberty Township, Butler County, Ohio Liberty Township is an affluent suburb of Cincinnati located in Butler County, Ohio. It is one of thirteen townships in Butler County, Ohio, United States. It is located on the east-central part of the county, just south of the city of Monroe. ...

. She has been a member of the Butler County Bar Association since 1991 and a member of the Federalist Society since 2012.

References

External links

* , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Kennedy, Sharon L. 1962 births 21st-century American judges 21st-century American women judges American women police officers Chief Justices of the Ohio Supreme Court Justices of the Ohio Supreme Court Living people Ohio Republicans Ohio state court judges Politicians from Hamilton, Ohio University of Cincinnati College of Law alumni Women chief justices of state supreme courts in the United States