From top: Twelfth District Court of Appeals Judge Stephen W. Powell, Ninth District Court of Appeals Judge Julie A. Schafer, and Second District Court of Appeals Judge Michael L. Tucker.

From top: Twelfth District Court of Appeals Judge Stephen W. Powell, Ninth District Court of Appeals Judge Julie A. Schafer, and Second District Court of Appeals Judge Michael L. Tucker.

Three judges from district appeals courts throughout the state today served as visiting judges on the Ohio Supreme Court for oral arguments.

Twelfth District Court of Appeals Judge Stephen W. Powell sat in for Justice Michael P. Donnelly, who recused himself from Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association v. King, Case no. 2018-1762. The case involves the professional fate of an attorney convicted of money laundering.

“It’s always an honor to be asked to come up and sit,” Judge Powell said. “The cases are always momentous cases, and my case was a very serious issue for the individual involved.”

Judge Powell was elected to serve on the appellate bench in 1994, and was re-elected in 2000, 2006, and 2012. He also served as a Butler County probate judge and was an attorney in private practice.

He received his bachelor’s degree from Heidelberg University and his law degree from the University of Dayton.

The Twelfth District Court of Appeals serves eight counties in southwest Ohio.

Ninth District Court of Appeals Judge Julie A. Schafer sat in for Justice Melody J. Stewart, who recused herself from Beverage Holdings v. 5701 Lombardo, Case no. 2018-0616. The case involves whether a trial court can interpret contract language in a disputed preschool franchise sale.

This was the first time Judge Schafer has served as a visiting judge.

“It was awesome,” Judge Schafer said. “This is the high point of my career.”

Judge Schafer was elected to the appellate court in 2014. She was also a judge for the Akron Municipal Court, as well as an attorney in private practice.

She received her bachelor’s degree from Hiram College and her law degree from the University of Akron.

The Ninth District Court of Appeals serves four counties in northern Ohio.

Second District Court of Appeals Judge Michael L. Tucker sat in for Justice Judith L. French, who recused herself from State v. Dibble, Case no. 2018-0552. The case involves whether a court can consider an unrecorded police statement in order to issue a search warrant.

“I found the experience very rewarding,” Judge Tucker said. “The staff was tremendous. They made it very easy to come and do what I had to do, without worrying about anything else than making myself fluent with the arguments of the parties and focus on the case itself. The judges were as courteous as they could be. Overall, I really enjoyed the experience.”

This is the first time Judge Tucker has served as a visiting judge.

Judge Tucker was elected to the appellate bench in 2016. He was also an administrative judge on the Montgomery County Common Pleas Court.

He received his bachelor’s degree from Wright State University and his law degree from the University of Dayton.

The Second District Court of Appeals serves six counties.