Fifth District Court of Appeals Judge Scott Gwin has sat as a visiting judge for the Supreme Court of Ohio several times in his 33 years on the bench, and he is still amazed by the magnitude of serving the state’s high court.

“Each opportunity to participate in this process is still a very moving experience for me,” said Judge Gwin of his most recent Supreme Court case last month.

Judge Gwin’s attention to detail and preparation for oral arguments remain the same, more than 30 years after his first appearance for the Court. That dedication traces back to his father, John, an attorney who became an Alliance Municipal Court judge in Stark County.

“I admired his personality, style, and class,” said Judge Gwin. “He led by example.”

As a teen, the judge knew he wanted to become a lawyer. As a bailiff during college, he realized the courts were his calling. He was “hooked” after seeing experienced lawyers trying cases. Judge Gwin began as a general practitioner, relishing the opportunities and challenges to work in various fields of law. The wider spectrum of legal knowledge – and public service positions as an assistant attorney general and Canton law director – persuaded him to the appellate court in 1989.

“It’s one of the most academically stimulating jobs in the legal field,” Judge Gwin said. “You’re at the cutting edge of what is happening in the legal system, and you take your time to work through a problem with other bright, interested judges.”

The Fifth District is the state’s largest among the 12 appellate courts representing 15 counties in central and eastern Ohio. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the judge and his colleagues traveled to each county courthouse to hear cases, driving across the region to help people resolve disputes.

In his efforts to assist those practicing law, Judge Gwin advises younger attorneys and jurists. As the second most senior appellate judge in the state, he remains active in the Supreme Court’s Lawyer to Lawyer Mentoring Program, passing along shared and learned insights from his years of practice.

“I owe that responsibility to the legal profession, but I also enjoy it because I get to meet peers and develop friendships,” said Judge Gwin.

Across decades of service, people have come and gone in Judge Gwin’s career circle. He went from hearing Supreme Court oral arguments with former Chief Justice Thomas J. Moyer to sitting for cases in the Court’s renovated home that bears the late chief justice’s name. Throughout that time, two constants remain – the judge’s appreciation of the law and his never-ending effort to keep learning about it.

“You go about doing your job quietly, and work hard,” he said. “I still thoroughly enjoy what I do and remain honored doing it.”

Judge Gwin’s latest oral argument was in place of Justice Melody Stewart, who recused in State v. Stansell. In the case, a convicted man is seeking to reduce his life sentence for multiple rapes. He argues the sentence for the crimes should be reduced after a Supreme Court ruling in a similar case.

According to the Ohio Constitution, in the event of a justice’s recusal, the chief justice selects from the Ohio appellate court judges to sit temporarily on the Supreme Court.