Two of Ohio’s longtime justices will say goodbye to the Supreme Court this month. The distinguished tenures of Justices Paul E. Pfeifer and Judith Ann Lanzinger are coming to a close because of age restrictions in the Ohio Constitution, which prohibit people older than 70 from running for judge. Justice Pfeifer, who has been on the Court for 24 years, and Justice Lanzinger, who has served for 12, seem to be taking it in stride.

“I am someone with very mixed emotions right now,” Justice Lanzinger said. “But the Constitution says it’s time for me to move on, and that’s what I’m going to do. I’m a bit excited, but nervous – probably the way just about anybody is when they make a transition in their career.”

“It’s a dynamic job, but a quarter of a century is probably enough for any human being,” Justice Pfeifer added. “To want more would be a little bit of a hog at the trough.”

Each shared warm reflections about the many facets of working at the state’s highest court for so many years.

Court’s Work
The justices highlighted some of the most significant case rulings they authored – school funding, charter schools, criminal sentencing, and cell-phone search warrants. But they expressed a deeper enjoyment of the deliberative process that leads to the ultimate decisions of the Court – starting, believe it or not, with the case files.

“I just look forward to opening the bankers’ boxes that were handed [out] every two weeks because there is always going to be something new – something interesting, something frequently that’s never before been decided by a supreme court,” Justice Pfeifer explained.

After researching, reading, and thinking about the issues in a case, the justices attend oral argument followed by conference – parts of the process both have savored.

I always felt that everyone [at the Court] really understood how important it was that we realize the consequences to ordinary people that our decisions would have.
- Justice Judith Ann Lanzinger

I always felt that everyone [at the Court] really understood how important it was that we realize the consequences to ordinary people that our decisions would have.
- Justice Judith Ann Lanzinger

“Being able to hear attorneys who are just at the top of their game arguing in front of the Court is amazing,” Justice Lanzinger noted.

“It’s electric as far as I’m concerned,” Justice Pfeifer said. “When I was first here, lawyers used to ask and think that oral argument was not important to the Court. It couldn’t be further from the truth. It really helps us flesh out the issues to understand in detail what’s important in the case.”

“Then, being in deliberations and having an argument that was dissected by six other people who saw the same thing I saw and, yet, have a different take on it, talking it over again and again, and coming to a conclusion,” Justice Lanzinger said. “That’s an exciting moment – very professionally rewarding.”

Experience²
Both justices compiled decades of rich and varied legal experience on their paths to the pinnacle of state courts.

Justice Lanzinger graduated as valedictorian of her class from the University of Toledo College of Law in 1977. After several years practicing as an attorney, she was elected to the Toledo Municipal Court. Voters then chose her to serve on the Lucas County Common Pleas Court for 14 years and on the Sixth District Court of Appeals before she ran and won a seat on the Ohio Supreme Court in 2004. She was re-elected as justice in 2010, and now completes 31 years as a judge who has served at all state court levels. Justice Lanzinger is in a group of six who tie as the 36th longest-serving justices on the Court.

Justice Pfeifer began his legal career after graduating from Ohio State University’s law school in 1966. Along with stretches as a private attorney, an assistant attorney general for the state, and a prosecuting attorney in Crawford County, he was elected to the Ohio House of Representatives for one term and the Ohio Senate four times, which included 10 years as chair of the influential Judiciary Committee. Following a successful campaign to join the Court in 1992, voters re-elected Justice Pfeifer three times, and he holds sixth place among all justices in time served on the Court.

“It’s turned out to be fascinating,” he noted. “It’s turned out to be the intellectual feast that the justices that were on the Court when I came here assured me I would find it to be.”

Justice Lanzinger agreed. “I think that’s what this court is for anyone who is wanting to be immersed in the law,” she said. “You get an intellectual feast of the laws in your state, and it’s fantastic.”

They each carry a vivid awareness of the significance of the Court’s decisions to the justice system and for the people of the state. Justice Lanzinger discussed the importance of staying neutral and open-minded, and of considering all sides before interpreting the law and ruling in a case.

“All other state court judges must follow our lead,” she noted. “I always felt that everyone [at the Court] really understood how important it was that we realize the consequences to ordinary people that our decisions would have.”

Justice Pfeifer described the duty as “constantly sobering,” expressing his aspiration that the Court be clear in its opinions about the precise reasons for a ruling.

“Hopefully the things that we decide are a benefit to citizens, who have no idea the case we just decided might someday be important in their own lives,” he said. “It’s an opportunity to do something important.”

Lasting Contributions
With 36 years of combined service to the state’s court of last resort, Justices Pfeifer and Lanzinger hope their diverse skills and distinct styles have left a positive impact – at the Court and for the future.

Justice Pfeifer mentioned the lively, sometimes biting, style of his opinions, often in dissent. He believes the approach helped make the law – even if it was to be found in the other side’s opinion – more memorable.

Hopefully the things that we decide are a benefit to citizens, who have no idea the case we just decided might someday be important in their own lives. It’s an opportunity to do something important.
- Justice Paul E. Pfeifer

Hopefully the things that we decide are a benefit to citizens, who have no idea the case we just decided might someday be important in their own lives. It’s an opportunity to do something important.
- Justice Paul E. Pfeifer

“Anything we write goes in the books, and it’s there forever,” he pointed out. “I think without a doubt lawyers and judges will tell you I’ve written some colorful things that will not soon be forgotten.”

For Justice Lanzinger, who began her career as a teacher and also has taught many judicial and legal education classes, precision in the Court’s writing has been paramount.

“One of the things that I worked on was the [Court’s] writing manual, and I think that sometimes I was called ‘the grammar lady.’ The other justices would tease me about that,” she said. “I hope that I made a difference in writing at the Court.”

Beyond the Court
Justice Lanzinger and Justice Pfeifer haven’t shared what exactly they will do after being a Supreme, but they aren’t lacking for ideas or possibilities.

Justice Lanzinger, who launched her own blog in 2010 to foster understanding of the legal system, said she may continue to teach and write, or possibly return to practicing law or explore community work.

Justice Pfeifer is considering using his legal skills through mediation to help people before they end up in court, and he’ll “continue to take hay to the cows” on his 550-acre farm in Bucyrus.

“I think I'll find a way to be challenged and engaged and keep the gray matter active for a while longer,” Justice Pfeifer quipped.

Enjoying time with family also will be central. Justice Pfeifer and his wife, Julia, have three children and five grandchildren. Justice Lanzinger and her husband, Robert, who will celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary next year, have two children and three grandchildren.

As for the two newcomers who will join the Court in January, the seasoned justices offer a few parting thoughts.

“Take a deep breath, go on long walks, be willing to respectfully consider the views of your six colleagues, and in the end always be true to your core values in deciding on a fair and just outcome for each decision you make,” Justice Pfeifer recommended.

“Because people can only respect and have faith in a judiciary that they first understand, I believe that justices must make principled decisions based on clearly-expressed reasoning,” Justice Lanzinger added. “So I would ask them to write well, but I’d also urge them to enjoy the best judicial jobs in the state.”

She noted that the constitutional provision that barred her and Justice Pfeifer from running for another term in the positions they’ve both treasured actually made it possible for her son – Joshua Lanzinger – to become a judge on the Toledo Municipal Court.

“So by moving aside, those of us who have had long careers [as judges], such as mine of 31 years, give somebody else a chance to begin their own career,” she said. “But it certainly doesn’t mean that anybody who’s leaving the Court is going to just fade away. We still have a lot of life in us.”