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Jim Mason (Ohio)
Jim Mason was a judge for the Franklin County Court of Common Pleas Domestic Relations/Juvenile Division in Columbus, Ohio. He first joined the court in 1999 and was re-elected in November 2012.[1] On January 7, 2014, Mason announced he will step down from the court at the end of May 2014.[2]
Education
Mason received his undergraduate degree from St. Louis University in 1971 and his J.D. from Ohio Northern University in 1977.[1]
Career
- 1999-2014: Judge, Franklin County Court of Common Pleas
- 1998: Judge, Ohio Tenth District Court of Appeals
- 1993-1998: Representative, Ohio General Assembly
- 1989-1998: Attorney in private practice
- 1986-1988: Adjunct Professor of Law, Capital University
- 1986-1988: Secretary, Ohio Supreme Court Board of Commissioners on Grievances and Discipline
- 1977-1986: Attorney in private practice [1]
Noteworthy cases
Same-sex divorce
In August 2012, Judge Mason rejected a motion for a same-sex marriage dissolution before the Franklin County Court of Common Pleas Domestic Relations/Juvenile Division. Married in Toronto in 2007, the couple filed for a dissolution in July 2012. Judge Mason stated that he would not approve the dissolution of the marriage due to the 2004 Ohio constitutional ban on same-sex marriage. "Because same-sex marriages have no legal effect in Ohio (regardless of whether Canada authorizes same-sex marriage), the court is required to dismiss any dissolution or divorce proceeding requesting the termination of a same-sex marriage for lack of jurisdiction,” Mason ruled."[3]
2012 election
Mason was re-elected to the Franklin County Court of Common Pleas after running unopposed in the general election November 6, 2012.[4] [5]
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 Mason's ratings from 2012:
- Objectivity: 4.0
- Judicial temperament: 4.3
- Legal knowledge: 4.2
- Sentencing: 3.8
- Timeliness: 4.1
- Overall: 4.1 - Average overall score of judges was 4.0.[6]
See also
External links
- Franklin County Court of Common Pleas, "Division of Domestic Relations and Juvenile Branch," accessed May 31, 2014
- Franklin County Court of Common Pleas, "Judge Jim Mason Biography," accessed May 31, 2014
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Franklin County Court of Common Pleas, "Judge Jim Mason Biography," accessed May 31, 2014
- ↑ The Columbus Dispatch, "Judge Jim Mason leaving Franklin County Juvenile Court," January 8, 2014
- ↑ The Columbus Dispatch, "Judge refuses lesbians a divorce," August 24, 2012
- ↑ Franklin County Board of Elections, "Unofficial 2012 General Election Results," accessed May 31, 2014 (dead link)
- ↑ Franklin County Board of Elections, "Certified Candidates List," accessed May 31, 2014
- ↑ Columbus Bar Association, "2012 Judicial Performance Poll," accessed May 31, 2014 (dead link)
