Third District Court of Appeals Judge Stephen R. Shaw.

Third District Court of Appeals Judge Stephen R. Shaw.

Third District Court of Appeals Judge Stephen R. Shaw served as a visiting judge on the Ohio Supreme Court today and heard oral arguments in a Summit County case.

Judge Shaw replaced Chief Justice Maureen O’Connor,who recused herself from State v. Boykin (Case Nos. 2012-0808 and 2012-1216). The case concerned whether a governor’s pardon automatically entitled an offender to have her convictions sealed.

According to the Ohio Constitution, in the event of a recusal by a justice the chief justice, or acting chief justice, can select any of the 69 sitting Ohio appellate court judges to sit temporarily on the Supreme Court. As the senior associate justice, Justice Paul E. Pfeifer named Judge Shaw to sit in place of Chief Justice O’Connor in this case.

Judge Shaw last served as a visiting judge on the Supreme Court in 2006.

Since 1986, he has served on the appellate bench. He also has served as the chief justice of the Ohio Court of Appeals Judges Association and as presiding judge of the Third District Court of Appeals. He began his career working in private practice and as an assistant county prosecutor in Lima.

“For 26 years I have greatly enjoyed serving on the intermediate Court of Appeals for the Third District, but of course, it is always a special privilege to be asked to sit on the state Supreme Court and I look forward to working with the Justices on this case following the oral arguments on Wednesday,” Judge Shaw said.

The Third District Court of Appeals serves 17 counties in northwest Ohio, and hears cases from county, municipal and common pleas courts as well as original actions in habeas corpus, mandamus, prohibition, procedendo and quo warranto.