From top: Second District Court of Appeals Judge Jeffrey M. Welbaum and Sixth District Court of Appeals Judge Thomas J. Osowik.

From top: Second District Court of Appeals Judge Jeffrey M. Welbaum and Sixth District Court of Appeals Judge Thomas J. Osowik.

Two appeals court judges served as visiting judges on the Ohio Supreme Court today in cases involving whether a court has permanent jurisdiction to review a juvenile’s sex-offender status and whether a conviction for a minor misdemeanor must list a punishment or sentence.

Second District Judge Jeffrey M. Welbaum and Sixth District Judge Thomas J. Osowik substituted for Justice Patrick F. Fischer in 2017-1292: State of Ohio v. Gregory White and 2017-1778: State of Ohio v. Ronald Amos.

“It was very intellectually stimulating, and I enjoyed it very much,” said Judge Welbaum of his first time serving as a visiting judge. “It was an extreme honor and privilege to be asked to serve.”

Judge Welbaum has served in the Second District Court of Appeals since 2013, after serving as chief of the criminal justice section at the Ohio Attorney General’s Office. He took that position after retiring from the Miami County Common Pleas Court in 2010. He’s also worked as the Miami County prosecutor, an assistant public defender, and a private practice attorney. He’s a graduate of Defiance College and received his law degree from the Ohio Northern Pettit College of Law.

“It’s an honor and privilege to be here anytime you are asked,” said Judge Osowik, who last sat for oral arguments in September 2009. “Every one of these cases are important.”

Judge Osowik was elected to the Sixth District Court of Appeals in November 2006, after serving as a trial judge for more than 15 years. He was appointed to the Toledo Municipal Court in January 1991 and subsequently elected. He graduated from the University of Toledo and received his law degree from the University of Toledo College of Law.

According to the Ohio Constitution, in the event of a recusal by a justice, the chief justice can select any of the 69 sitting Ohio appellate court judges to sit temporarily on the Supreme Court.