David W. Fais
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David W. Fais was a judge for the Franklin County Court of Common Pleas in Columbus, Ohio.[1] Due to reaching the age of mandatory retirement, Fais retired when his last term expired on February 6, 2015.[2] Fais died on April 17, 2021.[3]
Education
Fais received his undergraduate degree from Otterbein College and his J.D. from Ohio Northern University.[4]
Columbus Bar Association Judicial Performance Poll
In even numbered years, attorneys in Franklin County evaluate the performance of sitting judges in four categories and overall. Below are Judge Fais' ratings from 2012:
- Objectivity: 3.9
- Judicial temperament: 4.0
- Legal knowledge: 3.8
- Sentencing: 3.9
- Quality of opinions: 3.2
- Overall: 3.8 - Average overall score of judges was 3.8.[5]
Noteworthy cases
YouTube confessor turns himself in, charged with aggravated vehicular homicide
After posting his now infamous YouTube confession, an Ohio man was sentenced to six years in prison for aggravated vehicular homicide as well as six months in prison for the lesser charge of operating a vehicle under the influence of alcohol.[6][7]
Matthew Cordle, a Powell, Ohio resident, used the social media site “Because I Said I Would” to film and post his dramatized admission of guilt.[8] The three-and-a-half minute video uses reflective music and features Cordle describing how he attempted to drive home after a night of heavy drinking and struck a vehicle while driving the wrong way on Interstate 670. The crash killed 61-year-old Vincent Canzani. Cordle claims to “accept all responsibility” for the accident, pledges to plead guilty to the charges, and apologizes to the victim’s family. Cordle ended the video by pleading with viewers not to drink and drive. Cordle could face between two and eight years in jail.[9]
On September 10th, Cordle appeared in the Franklin County Court of Common Pleas before Judge Julie M. Lynch to plead guilty to the charges against him and be sentenced. However, Lynch postponed the hearing for one day after Cordle’s lawyers, in her words, “appeared to change their minds about having the case in front of [her]” when she refused to commit to a specific sentence. After ending the hearing, Lynch spoke to reporters in the court room about the abrupt change in schedule. “Now we’re talking a little different scenario than when people came in and said he wants to take responsibility, he wants to plead guilty, he wants to do this,” she said.[6]
Cordle’s defense attorney, George Breitmayer, denied that they had attempted to find a different judge to sentence Cordle. “Judge shopping,” as it’s called, is not allowed by court rules. Breitmayer stated that Cordle would enter a “not guilty” plea initially, which would lead to having a judge chosen at random. Cordle planned to plead guilty once the judge was assigned though. Breitmayer claimed that this would help his client’s message “stand strong” and avoid “any appearance of favoritism.”[6]
Cordle was sentenced by Judge David W. Fais on October 23, 2013.[10]
After being sentenced, Cordle stated:
| “ | There is no fair sentence when it comes to losing a life...It should have been me that night...instead of an innocent man.[7][11] | ” |
See also
External links
- Franklin County Court of Common Pleas General Division, website
- Franklin County Court of Common Pleas General Division: List of Judges
Footnotes
- ↑ Franklin County Court of Common Pleas General Division, "List of Judges"
- ↑ The Columbus Dispatch, "Retirement is the law, not choice for Common Pleas Judge David W. Fais," February 6, 2015
- ↑ The Columbus Dispatch, "Longtime Franklin County judge David Fais dies following hospital stay," April 19, 2021
- ↑ Martindale.com, Judge Profile: David W. Fais.
- ↑ Columbus Bar Association, "2012 Judicial Performance Poll"
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 The Washington Post, "Ohio man who made confessional DUI video appears in court, but judge delays guilty plea," September 10, 2013
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 NPR, "6 1/2 Year Sentence For 'I Killed A Man' YouTube Confessor," October 23, 2013
- ↑ Because I Said I Would.com, "Confession video...," accessed September 10, 2013
- ↑ The New York Daily News, "Drunk driver Matthew Cordle’s video confession leads to indictment," September 9, 2013
- ↑ The Columbus Dispatch, "YouTube confessor gets 6 1/2 years for fatal drunken-driving crash," October 23, 2013
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
Federal courts:
Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals • U.S. District Court: Northern District of Ohio, Southern District of Ohio • U.S. Bankruptcy Court: Northern District of Ohio, Southern District of Ohio
State courts:
Ohio Supreme Court • Ohio District Courts of Appeal • Ohio Courts of Common Pleas • Ohio County Courts • Ohio Municipal Courts • Ohio Court of Claims
State resources:
Courts in Ohio • Ohio judicial elections • Judicial selection in Ohio
