Jason D. Warner

Office: Marion County – Marion County Court of Common Pleas
(General Division)

Age: 48

Residence: Marion, OH

Email: warner4judge@gmail.com

Website: jasonwarnerforjudge.com; Facebook–
https://www.facebook.com/jasonwarner4judge/

Occupation: Magistrate of the Marion Municipal Court

Education: Bachelor of Arts (1993) from The Ohio State University;
Juris Doctor (1996) from The Ohio State University College of Law
Work Experience: Over 20 years in the practice of law, including 6
years in private practice, 14 years as a prosecutor, and, most recently,
over 6 years as a judicial official while serving as Magistrate of the Marion Municipal Court.

Family: Married with 2 children

Affiliations: Among other groups, member of the Marion County Bar Association, the Ohio State Bar Association, the Ohio Association of Magistrates, and the Marion Area Chamber of Commerce; Christian and active member of the Cornerstone Alliance Church, serving on the Governing Board and as an Elder.

Endorsements: Marion County Fraternal Order of Police (Steve Young Memorial Lodge); Marion County Commissioners Andy Appelfeller, Kerr Murray, and Ken Stiverson; Marion City Council
representatives Leslie Cunningham, Rick Huddle, Robert Landon, Kevin Norris, and Jason Schaber

Bar Association Ratings: N/A

(1) List your judicial experience (courts and years):
I have been privileged to serve as the Magistrate of the Marion Municipal Court for more than 6 years, having been appointed by Judge Teresa Ballinger in 2011. During the years in which I have served as Magistrate, I have presided over thousands of cases, including misdemeanor criminal cases and a wide variety of civil cases. I have reviewed thousands of motions and other pleadings led with the court. I also preside over the initial appearances/bond hearings and preliminary hearings in felony cases when those charges are led in the Marion Municipal Court. Throughout the years in which I have served as a Magistrate, I have often been asked about the difference between Magistrates and Judges. Magistrates, like Judges, are judicial officials. The primary difference is that Judges are elected by the people, and they appoint Magistrates to assist them in presiding over the court’s docket. Like Judges, Magistrates preside over trials, research and rule on motions, and make decisions. Magistrates, like Judges, also regularly attend ongoing “Judicial College” education that is required for judicial officials. Magistrates, like Judges, are required to make difficult and sometimes life-changing decisions on a daily basis. Service as a judicial official is unlike any other position in the practice of law. There is no position that could better prepare someone to be a Judge than serving as a Magistrate. My six years of judicial experience clearly distinguishes me from my opponent, who has no judicial experience.

(2) What about your non-judicial legal experience qualifies you to be a judge?
Everything I’ve done throughout my legal career has been done to prepare me for my ultimate career objective of becoming a Judge. I have never run for any other elective office, and I have no intention to do so. When I first joined the practice of law in 1996, I spent 6 years in general private practice, during which time I gained invaluable experience by handling a wide variety of civil and criminal cases, representing both plaintiffs and defendants. From 1998 through 2002, I also served on a part-time basis as a prosecutor, specializing in the prosecution of domestic violence cases
and other crimes against the family. In 2002, I gave up my private practice when I was promoted to the newly-created full-time position of First Assistant Law Director/City Prosecutor for the City of Marion. I spent the next 9 years in that position, during which time I was actually in the office and in the courtroom every day, prosecuting all types of criminal misdemeanor and traffic cases, representing the interests of victims, and holding criminal offenders accountable for their conduct. As indicated above, however, it is the experience that I have gained as a Magistrate that most qualifies me to be a Judge, as I now have the unique responsibility of looking at every case over which I preside from the perspective of someone whose job it is to make decisions that are based only on interpreting and enforcing the law.

(3) Why are you running for this particular court seat?
I believe that service as a Judge is the highest calling in the legal profession. I’m running to become Judge of the Marion County Court of Common Pleas because I was born and raised in Marion, and I love this community. That said, I am very concerned about recent trends in which we have seen our community struggle with rising crime rates and the devastation caused by drug addiction and drug-related crime. I desperately want to help this community regain a reputation as a great community in which to live and work and raise our families, and I believe that, if elected, I can have a tremendous impact on our community. In recent years, I have been encouraged by countless citizens, including dozens who serve in law enforcement, to run for Judge. While I understand and appreciate the opportunity that I have to impact the lives of those with whom I interact while serving in Municipal Court, I know that I can have an even greater impact on our community if elected as Common Pleas Court Judge. Thank you for your consideration and support.