Growing up with four brothers in Louisville, Kentucky, helped Judge Susan Boyer learn how to resolve conflicts quickly.

“The importance of finding peaceful ways to resolve disputes was apparent to me at an early age,” Judge Boyer joked.

So, it’s no wonder that Judge Boyer later found her way to the bench. 

“I love the law, both as a profession and as a method developed to resolve the differences between people, and to maintain a civil society,” Judge Boyer said. “I am fascinated with the law’s logic and common sense, the way it reflects and accommodates human nature, and the way the law encourages order and provides a rational and organized process to solve problems.”

Judge Boyer’s family moved from Ontario, Canada to Kentucky in 1952 and to Ohio shortly after she started college. She received her law degree from Akron Law School in 1973. After stints at a local firm and the Washington County Prosecutors Office, then-Governor Richard Celeste appointed Judge Boyer to the General Division of the Washington County Court of Common Pleas in January 1986. She has sat in the position ever since, winning contested races in 1986, 1988, and 2006.

“I am humbled by the support that has been given to me by the people of this county over so long a time,” Judge Boyer said.

Now her time is coming to an end. Judge Boyer will be retiring this year after 27 years on the bench. She said she hopes to make her retirement as busy and interesting as her career. Judge Boyer has plans to visit her brothers, who moved back to Canada. She would also like to travel around the world to Alaska, China, Greece, and Ireland. Judge Boyer plans to stay active in the Mid-Ohio Valley Players Theater in Marietta.