Office: For Judge of the Mahoning County Court of Common Pleas, General Division
Term Beginning 7/1/2021
Age: 61
Residence: Youngstown
Email: jdurkin@mahoningcountyoh.gov
Website: N/A
Social Media:
Occupation: Judge
Education: J.D., University of Dayton (1983)
Work Experience: Assistant Prosecutor, City of Youngstown; Private Practice, 1983-1997
Family: Married with 4 children
Affiliations: St. Lukes Church
Endorsements:
Bar Association Ratings:
(1) List your judicial experience (courts and years)
I have been a judge in the General Division of the Common Please Court since 1997. In addition to my regular civil and criminal docket, I established an Adult Felony Drug Court in 1998, and continue to preside over that docket. (It was the third drug court created in the State of Ohio, and has been recognized as a mentor court by the National Association of Drug Court Professionals).
I have served as the Chair of the Ohio Judicial Conference and as an officer of the Ohio Judicial College. I currently serve as co-chair of the Ethics and Professionalism Committee for the Ohio Judicial Conference. I was appointed by Chief Justice Thomas Moyer to serve on a Task Force that revised the Code of Judicial Conduct in Ohio, and was appointed by Chief Justice Maureen O’Connor to serve on a Task Force examining Court Funding. I currently serve on the state team for the Regional Judicial Opioid Initiative (RJOI), and was the only judge nominated by Chief Justice O’Connor to attend a conference at the National Judicial College sponsored by the American Academy of Addiction Psychiatry that promotes the cultivation of law and medicine for individuals involved in the justice system who suffer from a substance-use disorder.
(2) What about your non-judicial legal experience qualifies you to be a judge?
I was an assistant prosecutor for the City of Youngstown, and was also in private practice for 13 years. I handled almost every case that is seen in the General division of the Common Pleas Court, including personal injury, medical malpractice jury trials, and was certified by the Ohio Supreme Court as First Chair in Death Penalty Litigation. I also served as counsel for the Mahoning County Children Services Board, handling matters involving abuse, neglect and dependency. Although those cases are not handled in the General Division, it gave me a great understanding that substance-use disorder does not only impact the individual, but also the entire family.
(3) Why are you running for this particular court seat?
I am very proud of the work that I have done since taking the bench over 22 years ago, and candidly, I enjoy this job as much today as i did when I first took the bench. The best part of my job is being able to witness the transformation of individuals who embrace recovery; to move from an absolute place of hopelessness to the realization that anything is possible.