Welcome to the website of the Ohio Association of Magistrates. The OAM was founded in 1989 by a handful of court referees (as they were called then) to provide seminars and networking opportunities in order to improve the education and professionalism of magistrates in Ohio. Today, the OAM has more than 500 members from every practice area in courts throughout Ohio. We continue to grow and get stronger as we strive to meet the mission of the OAM, which is to assist our members, through education and professional development, to serve the justice system with integrity.

Service to the justice system means more than just working for our courts and handling our cases. OAM members continue to be called upon to serve on important Supreme Court and Ohio Judicial Conference committees. OAM members serve on nearly all Commissions, Committees and Task Forces of the Ohio Supreme Court and on all Practice and Procedure Committees of the Ohio Judicial Conference, among others.

OAM alumni are also continuing to serve the justice system. The next Chief Justice of the Ohio Supreme Court will be a former magistrate. Supreme Court Justice Maureen O’Connor, who spent eight years as a magistrate in Summit County, and Franklin County Probate Judge Eric Brown, who spent two years as a magistrate in Franklin County, will square off against each other in the November General Election for the opportunity to lead Ohio’s highest court for the next six years. On their respective court websites, both Justice O’Connor and Judge Brown feature prominently their service as magistrates.

This election provides the rare opportunity for both candidates to spotlight the important role magistrates serve as judicial officers. As Chief Justice Moyer has said many times, magistrates are the “face of the judiciary” for thousands of Ohioans who appear in court. Justice O’Connor and Judge Brown can both speak proudly of their judicial experience as magistrates and both can help educate the public on the importance of magistrates in the judicial system.

I hope your visit to the OAM website will answer any questions you might have about the OAM and about the work of Ohio’s magistrates. The greatest strength of our Association lies in our members, who work every day to uphold the U.S. and Ohio Constitutions and the laws of this state and to provide justice for the citizens of Ohio.