Office: For Judge of the Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas, General Division
Term Beginning 1/3/2021
Age: 56
Residence: Cleveland
Email: VoteVodrey@gmail.com
Website: VoteVodrey.com
Social Media: FB: Vote Vodrey for Judge
Occupation: Magistrate, Cleveland Municipal Court (2001-present)
Education: Oberlin College, 1983-1987; B.A. with Honors in Government; History minor. I’ve been a visiting professor in legal advocacy at Oberlin for over a decade, teaching students in the Oberlin Law Scholars program. In 2018, I was awarded the Alumni Medal for “outstanding [and] sustained service” to the college. Case Western Reserve University School of Law, 1989-1992; J.D. I was named the law school’s Distinguished Recent Graduate in 2002.
Work Experience: Magistrate, Cleveland Municipal Court (2001- present); Assistant Prosecuting Attorney, Cuyahoga County (1995- 2001); Staff Attorney, Southeastern Ohio Legal Services, New Philadelphia, Ohio (1993-1995)
Family: Married with three sons
Affiliations: Member, Ohio Association of Magistrates (2002-present); Board member, American Constitution Society, Northeast Ohio Chapter (2008-present); Member, Ohio State Bar Association (1992- present); Member, Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association (2013- present); Member, CMBA Character and Fitness Committee (2013- present); Mock Trial Club advisor, Shaker Heights High School (2013- present); Mock Trial judge, Ohio Commission for Law-Related Education (1996-present); Mock Trial judge, Cleveland Metropolitan School District (2001-present); Member, St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, Cleveland Heights, Ohio (1995-present)
Endorsements: Endorsements: Cuyahoga County Democratic Party, U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown, Congresswoman Marcia Fudge, Cleveland Stonewall Democrats, eight labor unions. For more, see https://votevodrey.com/endorsements/
Bar Association Ratings: In 2020, through Judge4Yourself.com: Asian American Bar Assn.: Excellent; Cuyahoga Criminal Defense Lawyers Assn.: Excellent; Ohio Women’s Bar Assn.: Good; Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Assn.: Good; Norman S. Minor Bar Assn.: Good.
(1) List your judicial experience (courts and years)
Having served as a full-time judicial officer for almost 19 years, I’d now like to take my experience, my skills and my passionate commitment to justice to a higher court. Most judges go their entire careers without ever having a decision officially reported as Ohio precedent; I’ve had 21. I’m the only non-incumbent Democratic candidate for a Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas seat this year who has actually presided over jury trials. I am ready for, and would welcome, the challenges and opportunities of public service offered by a Common Pleas judgeship. I believe I can make a positive impact for all the people of Cuyahoga County, seeing that justice is done without fear or favor, and building on the reforms already underway in this court.
(2) What about your non-judicial legal experience qualifies you to be a judge?
My entire career reflects my strong commitment to public service. As a staff attorney for Southeastern Ohio Legal Services for two and a half years, I represented indigent clients who desperately needed civil protection orders in domestic violence cases, and people whose utilities had been illegally shut off. Through class action lawsuits resulting in multi-million-dollar settlements, we helped thousands of people left in the cold by major Ohio utilities. As an assistant prosecuting attorney of Cuyahoga County for six years, appointed by the late Stephanie Tubbs Jones, I served primarily in the felony trial unit, handling serious crimes including thefts, gun offenses, physical and sexual assaults, and drug offenses, and also worked on capital cases.
(3) Why are you running for this particular court seat?
The Court of Common Pleas handles the most serious trial-level cases under state law, both criminal and civil. I would like to take my judicial experience, my skills and my passionate commitment to justice to a higher court, and be of service to the entire county.