James W. Satola

This page was current at the end of the individual's last campaign covered by Ballotpedia. Please contact us with any updates.

James W. Satola

Democratic Party

Elections and appointments

Last election

April 28, 2020

Education

Bachelor's

The Ohio State University, 1984

Law

Case Western Reserve School of Law, 1989

Personal

Birthplace

Cleveland, Ohio

Religion

Catholic

Contact

Campaign website

Campaign Facebook

Personal Facebook

James W. Satola (Democratic Party) ran for election for judge of the Ohio Eighth District Court of Appeals. He lost in the Democratic primary on April 28, 2020.

Satola completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. Click here to read the survey answers.

Satola was a Democratic candidate for the Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas in Ohio in 2018. He lost in the general election on November 6, 2018. He also ran for a seat on the Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas in 2016 and 2012.

Biography

Email editor@ballotpedia.org to notify us of updates to this biography.

Satola earned a B.S. in zoology from Ohio State University in 1984. He went on to earn his J.D. at Case Western Reserve School of Law in 1989. From 1989 to 1991, he clerked for U.S. District Court Judge John Manos. For the next 19 years, he worked as a senior attorney at the firm of Squire, Sanders & Dempsey, LLP. He then became a hearing officer for the Cuyahoga County Board of Revision from 2010 to 2011 before opening his own private practice in 2011. He is also a member of the Federal Bar Association National, serving as the circuit vice president for the 6th Circuit since 2010.

Satola has been rated AV Preeminent by the Martindale-Hubbell Peer Review Ratings. He is a life member of the 6th Circuit Judicial Conference and a charter life member of the Foundation of the Federal Bar Association. He is a member of the Federal Bar Association, American Bar Association, Ohio State Bar Association and Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association.

Elections

2020

See also: Ohio intermediate appellate court elections, 2020

General election

General election for Ohio Eighth District Court of Appeals

Lisa Forbes defeated incumbent Raymond Headen in the general election for Ohio Eighth District Court of Appeals on November 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Lisa Forbes (Nonpartisan)	71.0	326,112
		Raymond Headen (Nonpartisan)	29.0	133,072

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 459,184
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Ohio Eighth District Court of Appeals

Lisa Forbes defeated Gabriella Rosalina, James W. Satola, and Alyson Monroe Brown in the Democratic primary for Ohio Eighth District Court of Appeals on April 28, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Lisa Forbes	56.0	67,918
	Submit photo	Gabriella Rosalina	31.2	37,814
		James W. Satola	6.8	8,217
	Submit photo	Alyson Monroe Brown	6.1	7,415

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 121,364
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Ohio Eighth District Court of Appeals

Incumbent Raymond Headen advanced from the Republican primary for Ohio Eighth District Court of Appeals on April 28, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Raymond Headen	100.0	29,198

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 29,198
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

2018

See also: Ohio local trial court judicial elections, 2018

General election

General election for Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas General Division

Incumbent Kathleen Sutula defeated James W. Satola in the general election for Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas General Division on November 6, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Submit photo	Kathleen Sutula (R)	58.4	222,175
		James W. Satola (D)	41.6	158,017

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 380,192
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas General Division

James W. Satola advanced from the Democratic primary for Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas General Division on May 8, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		James W. Satola	100.0	77,427

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified.	Total votes: 77,427
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas General Division

Incumbent Kathleen Sutula advanced from the Republican primary for Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas General Division on May 8, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Submit photo	Kathleen Sutula	100.0	33,876

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified.	Total votes: 33,876
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

2016

See also: Ohio local trial court judicial elections, 2016

Ohio held general elections for local judicial offices on November 8, 2016. A primary election took place on March 15, 2016. The filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was December 16, 2015.

Michael Shaughnessy defeated Joseph Russo and James Satola in the Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas General Division Democratic primary election.

Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas (General Division–Astrab Seat), Democratic Primary, 2016
Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Michael Shaughnessy	57.17%	74,240
Joseph Russo	29.04%	37,715
James Satola	13.79%	17,906
Total Votes		129,861
Source: Cuyahoga County Board of Elections, "Election Results," accessed March 16, 2016

Endorsements

Satola received the following rankings, according to Judge4Yourself.com, for an overall rating of 2.75 out of 4 by the website:

• Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association: Good
• Cuyahoga Criminal Defense Lawyer's Association: Adequate
• Norman S. Minor Bar Association: Good
• Ohio Women's Bar Association: Good

2012

See also: Ohio judicial elections, 2012 - Courts of Common Pleas

Satola was defeated by incumbent John D. Sutula in the primary election on March 6, receiving 33.63% of the vote.

Cleveland bar association ratings

According to the compiled results at Judge4Yourself.com, Satola received a rating of 3.25 out of 4 by local Cleveland bar associations in 2012. Those break down as:

• Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association: Excellent
• Cuyahoga Criminal Defense Lawyers Association: Good
• Norman S. Minor Bar Association: Good
• Ohio Women's Bar Association: Good

Selection method

See also: Nonpartisan election of judges

The 391 judges of the Ohio Courts of Common Pleas are all selected in an identical manner. Qualified individuals wishing to join the bench must participate in partisan primary elections followed by nonpartisan general elections.

The chief judges of the Ohio Courts of Common Pleas are chosen by peer vote and serve for one year.

Qualifications
To serve on an appellate or general jurisdiction court, a judge must be:

• a district or county resident (for court of appeals and common pleas judges);
• at least six years practiced in law; and
• under the age of 70.

Under the Ohio Constitution, a judge who reaches 70 years of age may be assigned by the chief justice to active duty, receiving payment on a per-day basis in addition to whatever retirement benefits he or she is entitled to.

Campaign themes

2020

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

James W. Satola completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Satola's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

After graduating from The Ohio State University in 1984 with a degree in Zoology (I am also an alumni of OSU's Stone Lab research facility at Gibraltar Island in Lake Erie), I briefly worked in medical research at the Cleveland VA Medical Center. I began law school at Case Western Reserve School of Law in the summer of 1986, graduating in 1989. I served on the Law Review for two years, and was published twice, once for artwork (1988) and once for an article (1989). Following law school, I served as a Federal Judicial Law Clerk before beginning a 20-year litigation practice with a worldwide leading law firm. I later served as a Hearing Officer for the Cuyahoga County (Ohio) Board of Revision, hearing appeals of residential, commercial, and special use real estate valuations. I have also taught civics and constitutional rights in the Cleveland city school system for over 14 years, including chairing the committee that oversees the program. I am probably one of the most active educational mock trial and moot court judges in Ohio, serving many times throughout each year for my entire 30-year legal career as a presiding judge at tournaments at the high school, undergraduate college, and law school levels for the Ohio Center for Law Related Education, Case Western Reserve Law School, Case Western Reserve University, the Law and Leadership Institute, the American Association for Justice (formerly American Trial Lawyers Association), and the Federal Bar Association.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

Fairness, Honesty, Integrity.

What legacy would you like to leave?

I would like to be remembered as a dedicated and distinguished judge.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

Newspaper carrier (Cleveland Press), which I began when I was 8 years old. I held that job until the Cleveland Press discontinued in 1975. For some years before that, I was also a newspaper carrier for The Plain Dealer, which I continued until leaving for college in 1979. During that time, I was named an "Honor Carrier."

What is your favorite book? Why?

As one who has been pretty much continuously "reading a book" for over 30 years (obviously, not the same book), it is hard to say. I am an avid student of United States Supreme Court history, and over the years have probably read close to every significant book on the subject published in the 20th and 21st centuries . . . . Seriously, I look on the bookshelves in the gift shop of the Supreme Court of the United States, and to pretty much every book there, "read it"; and the same with online book searches.

Are there any little-known powers or responsibilities held by this office that you believe more people should be aware of?

No. The role of a court of appeals judge is set by the Ohio Constitution and statutes.

How would you describe your legal philosophy?

Striving to be fair and honest, with personal integrity.

Is there a particular judge, past or present, whom you admire?

Certainly one is (now-deceased) United States District Judge John M. Manos (U.S. District Ct., N.D. Ohio), for whom I was a law clerk from 1989 to 1991, who was not only a great judge but also a dedicated teacher and mentor (prior to appointment to the federal court by President Ford, he was an Ohio Court of Appeals and Ohio Common Pleas Judge). As an avid student of United States Supreme Court history (and well-over-20-year member of the Supreme Court Historical Society), there are numerous others too.

Do you believe that empathy is an important quality for a judge?

Very much so. As an Alzheimer's caregiver to my mother, and one who helps with others, empathy is an everyday part of my life.

Have you ever been rated by a Bar Association? If so, what was the rating?

Many times. The highest rating was a cumulative 3.75 (on a 4.00 scale) in connection with a run for Cuyahoga County (Ohio) Common Pleas Judge in 2010.

Why are you running for this particular court seat?

My education, experience, legal accomplishment, as well as personal integrity and compassion, make me well fit to serve as a court of appeals judge.

(My current Ballotpedia profile already includes a general statement on my commitment to judicial service.)

Do you believe that it's beneficial for a judge to have previous experience in government or politics?

Not necessarily. Being a good judge should not be a "political job," but rather a dedication to fairness and integrity.

What is your primary concern about today's legal system in your state?

Access to justice (fair bail procedures, uniform sentencing practices, timely assistance of counsel).

What do you consider the greatest opportunity for the legal system in your state?

To continue to pursue fairness throughout all levels.

Would you be interested in serving on a higher court in the future? If so, which court appeals to you?

I am presently running for the Ohio Eighth District Court of Appeals. In Ohio, court of appeals judges often sit by designation on the Ohio Supreme Court when a current justice has a conflict or otherwise recuses. I look forward to that opportunity.

Do you believe that Bar Association ratings are an accurate reflection of a judge’s ability?

Not always.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

2016

Satola answered questions from Judicial Votes Count regarding his 2016 candidacy. When asked, "Why are you running for this particular court seat?" he stated:

“	I have aspired to be a judge since the day I entered law school almost 30 years ago. It is the reason I chose to begin my legal career with a clerkship with a legendary federal judge who was not only a fine judge, but also a dedicated teacher, where I received training and guidance on what it takes to be a dedicated judge. It is the reason I sought a litigation practice with a worldwide leading law firm, which allowed me to gain experience and exposure to a wide range of the law and cases in both state and federal courts, in matters simple and complex. It is also the reason I have been active in bar activities related to judicial matters and the trial process. For me, judicial service is not just a job, but a calling. As to the specific qualifications and qualities I believe I would bring to the position of judge, I hope I have identified and expressed them in my answers provided for this questionnaire. I believe being a good judge requires above all an ability to listen, as well as possession of the qualities of intelligence, understanding, patience, respect, a calm and positive demeanor, and a sincere commitment to fairness. I believe I possess these qualities, and I have been fortunate to have had others express these sentiments about me throughout my legal career.	”
—James Satola (2016)

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Footnotes

Ohio courts

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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

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