{"id":40715,"date":"2018-09-26T12:33:33","date_gmt":"2018-09-26T12:33:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.uakron.edu\/judicialvotescount\/?page_id=40715"},"modified":"2018-09-26T12:33:33","modified_gmt":"2018-09-26T12:33:33","slug":"michael-p-donnelly-4","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/blogs.uakron.edu\/judicialvotescount\/michael-p-donnelly-4\/","title":{"rendered":"Michael P. Donnelly"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"http:\/\/blogs.uakron.edu\/judicialvotescount\/files\/2018\/09\/Michael-P.-Donnelly.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-40719\" src=\"http:\/\/blogs.uakron.edu\/judicialvotescount\/files\/2018\/09\/Michael-P.-Donnelly-274x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"274\" height=\"300\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Office:<\/strong> Franklin County \u2013 Ohio Supreme Court<\/p>\n<p><strong>Age:<\/strong> 51<\/p>\n<p><strong>Residence:<\/strong> Cleveland Heights, OH<\/p>\n<p><strong>Email:<\/strong> info@donnellyforjustice.com<\/p>\n<p><strong>Website:<\/strong> http:\/\/www.DonnellyForJustice.com; http:\/\/www.twitter.com<br \/>\n\/Donnelly4Ohio; http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/DonnellyForSupremeCourt<\/p>\n<p><strong>Occupation:<\/strong> Judge, Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas, 2005-<br \/>\nPresent<\/p>\n<p><strong>Education:<\/strong> J.D., Cleveland State University Cleveland-Marshall College<br \/>\nof Law; B.A., John Carroll University; St. Ignatius High School<\/p>\n<p><strong>Work Experience:<\/strong> Assistant Cuyahoga County Prosecutor, 1992-1997;<br \/>\nAttorney in Private Practice, 1997-2004<\/p>\n<p><strong>Family:<\/strong> Married with two children<\/p>\n<p><strong>Affiliations:<\/strong> Gesu Catholic Church<\/p>\n<p><strong>Endorsements:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul type=\"disc\">\n<li>AFSCME Council 8<u><\/u><u><\/u><\/li>\n<li>Cleveland American Middle East Organization (CAMEO)<u><\/u><u><\/u><\/li>\n<li>Cleveland Building &amp; Construction Trades Council<u><\/u><u><\/u><\/li>\n<li>Cleveland Stonewall Democrats<u><\/u><u><\/u><\/li>\n<li>Columbus Fire Fighters Union Local #67, I.A.F.F<u><\/u><u><\/u><\/li>\n<li>Congresswoman Marcia Fudge<u><\/u><u><\/u><\/li>\n<li>Cuyahoga County Democratic Party<u><\/u><u><\/u><\/li>\n<li>Cuyahoga County Young Democrats<u><\/u><u><\/u><\/li>\n<li>Fraternal Order of Police (FOP)<u><\/u><u><\/u><\/li>\n<li>Lake County Bar Association<u><\/u><u><\/u><\/li>\n<li>Ohio AFL-CIO<u><\/u><u><\/u><\/li>\n<li>Ohio Association of Public School Employees (OAPSE)<u><\/u><u><\/u><\/li>\n<li>Ohio Conference of Teamsters<u><\/u><u><\/u><\/li>\n<li>Ohio Democratic Party<u><\/u><u><\/u><\/li>\n<li>Ohio Education Association (OEA)<u><\/u><u><\/u><\/li>\n<li>Ohio Patrolman\u2019s Benevolent Association<u><\/u><u><\/u><\/li>\n<li>Ohio State Representative John Rogers<u><\/u><u><\/u><\/li>\n<li>Ohio State Senator Joe Schiavoni<u><\/u><u><\/u><\/li>\n<li>Service Employees International Union (SEIU)<u><\/u><u><\/u><\/li>\n<li>Stonewall Democrats of Central Ohio<u><\/u><u><\/u><\/li>\n<li>Summit County Progressive Democrats<u><\/u><u><\/u><\/li>\n<li>United Auto Workers, Region 2<u><\/u><u><\/u><\/li>\n<li>United Steelworkers of America, District 1<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Bar Association Ratings:<\/strong> Lake County Bar Association \u2013 Highly<br \/>\nRecommended<\/p>\n<p><strong>(1) List your judicial experience (courts and years):<\/strong><br \/>\nI was elected to serve as a Judge in the Cuyahoga County Court of<br \/>\nCommon Pleas in November 2004 and took of\u00d7ce on January 3, 2005. I<br \/>\nwas reelected in 2010 and in 2016. During the last thirteen years, I<br \/>\nhave presided over thousands of cases involving virtually every type of<br \/>\ncriminal and civil claim which can be litigated in the General Division.<br \/>\nFrom 2010-2017, I served as one of five judges on Cuyahoga County\u2019s<br \/>\nMental Health and Developmental Disabilities Court, which oversees<br \/>\ncriminal cases that involve defendants who suffer from schizophrenia,<br \/>\nschizophrenic disorder, or a developmental disability.<\/p>\n<p><strong>(2) What about <\/strong>your non-judicial<strong> legal experience quali\u00d7es you to be a<\/strong><br \/>\n<strong>judge?<\/strong><br \/>\nFighting for victims as a Cuyahoga County Assistant County<br \/>\nProsecutor and for injured workers as a private attorney taught me<br \/>\nhow important it is that people can see that their court system operates<br \/>\nfairly and efficiently, and that they have access to it. Building greater<br \/>\ntrust in our court system requires advocating for systemic criminal and<br \/>\ncivil justice reform. I currently serve as first Vice President of the Ohio<br \/>\nCommon Pleas Judge\u2019s Association. I am also a current member of both<br \/>\nthe Ohio State Board of Bar Examiners and the Ohio Jury Instruction<br \/>\nCommittee. I served for six years on the Ohio Supreme Court\u2019s<br \/>\nCommission on Professionalism.<br \/>\nIn each of these roles, I have worked to advance policies that make our<br \/>\ncourt system more transparent and fair. I have worked to expose the<br \/>\npractice of prosecutors, defense attorneys, and judges who allow<br \/>\ncriminal defendants to resolve serious accusations, such as rape and<br \/>\ngross sexual imposition, by accepting factually baseless pleas. Allowing<br \/>\ndefendants to plead to irrelevant offenses that have no basis in fact<br \/>\nenters incorrect information into the public record, gives an inaccurate<br \/>\naccount of criminal activity, and often circumvents registration laws for<br \/>\nsexual offenses. Because of this practice, employers who conduct<br \/>\nimportant criminal background checks and those who rely on<br \/>\nconviction data (such as law enforcement, victim advocacy groups,<br \/>\nfuture sentencing courts, and the general public) cannot have<br \/>\nconfidence that the information they receive accurately reflects what<br \/>\npeople may have done.<br \/>\nFor a number of years, I have led an effort to have Ohio adopt a<br \/>\nmodification of Ohio\u2019s Criminal Rule 11 to specifically require that plea<br \/>\nagreements maintain a factual basis, as is already required in our<br \/>\nfederal system. Despite having the backing of The Plain Dealer, The<br \/>\nColumbus Dispatch, the Cleveland Rape Crisis Center, and the Ohio<br \/>\nAlliance Against Sexual Violence, the current Ohio Supreme Court<br \/>\nrejected this effort without explanation. The Ohio Supreme Court is the<br \/>\nsteward of Ohio\u2019s justice system and must take responsibility for<br \/>\nmaking it fairer and more effective. I believe my efforts to reform the<br \/>\nsystem have helped prepare me for the role of Associate Justice, where<br \/>\nI will be able to work with all of our justice system\u2019s stakeholders to<br \/>\nshape statewide judicial policy and help restore and deepen the public\u2019s<br \/>\ntrust in the justice system.<\/p>\n<p><strong>(3) Why are you running for this particular court seat?<\/strong><br \/>\nIn the broadest terms, the Ohio Supreme Court is responsible for<br \/>\nensuring:<br \/>\n1.That Ohio\u2019s justice system runs fairly, effectively, and efficiently.<br \/>\n2. That Ohio\u2019s laws are justly applied.<br \/>\nWhen these jobs aren\u2019t done well, the public\u2019s faith in our courts begins<br \/>\nto erode and I believe that\u2019s what has been happening in Ohio. People<br \/>\nfear that our courts are focused less on the fair application of the law<br \/>\nand more on serving the interests of those who can afford to access<br \/>\nthem and those who help fund judicial election campaigns. Maintaining<br \/>\npublic confidence in our court system should be a priority for everyone.<br \/>\nOur justice system is the backbone of our society because it provides<br \/>\nthe means for parties to resolve their disputes. Without our courts,<br \/>\nthese disputes would tear apart families, businesses, and communities.<br \/>\nTo operate as designed, however, our courts must earn the public\u2019s<br \/>\ntrust. People must be confident their court system will treat them fairly<br \/>\nand that its decisions will be just. I believe our courts can and must do<br \/>\nbetter at earning society\u2019s trust. The most important element in<br \/>\naccomplishing this is greater transparency because the public\u2019s ability<br \/>\nto discern that our courts are functioning properly and ef\u00d7ciently<br \/>\nresolving disputes depends upon it.<br \/>\nI also strongly believe that Ohioans suffer from a huge justice gap.<br \/>\nCitizens with lower income face significant barriers to justice. This is<br \/>\nnot a matter of opinion or debate; it is a matter of established fact. I<br \/>\nhave worked hard in my courtroom and in the other settings to<br \/>\nadvance policies that would reform our court system. But, inevitably,<br \/>\nthere is a limit to how much a single trial court judge can do; building<br \/>\ngreater trust in our court system requires advocating for systemic<br \/>\ncriminal and civil justice reform. I\u2019m running for Associate Justice of the<br \/>\nOhio Supreme Court for the opportunity to help rebuild the public\u2019s<br \/>\ntrust in its courts and prove to Ohioans that justice is for ALL of us.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Office: Franklin County \u2013 Ohio Supreme Court Age: 51 Residence: Cleveland Heights, OH Email: info@donnellyforjustice.com Website: http:\/\/www.DonnellyForJustice.com; http:\/\/www.twitter.com \/Donnelly4Ohio; http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/DonnellyForSupremeCourt Occupation: Judge, Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas, 2005- Present Education: J.D., Cleveland State University Cleveland-Marshall College of Law; B.A., John Carroll University; St. Ignatius High School Work Experience: Assistant Cuyahoga County Prosecutor, 1992-1997; Attorney [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3619,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"class_list":["post-40715","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.uakron.edu\/judicialvotescount\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/40715","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.uakron.edu\/judicialvotescount\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.uakron.edu\/judicialvotescount\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.uakron.edu\/judicialvotescount\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3619"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.uakron.edu\/judicialvotescount\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=40715"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.uakron.edu\/judicialvotescount\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/40715\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":40727,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.uakron.edu\/judicialvotescount\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/40715\/revisions\/40727"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.uakron.edu\/judicialvotescount\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=40715"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}