Eighth District Judge Sean Gallagher hearing two Supreme Court oral arguments.

Eighth District Judge Sean Gallagher hearing two Supreme Court oral arguments.

Judge Sean C. Gallagher works for the people who rely on a court’s services. He’s taken on many roles across more than 40 years in the Ohio justice system. His first job was a janitor at the old Cuyahoga County Juvenile Courthouse during summer breaks from college.

“When I was cleaning the halls and courtrooms, I saw the interactions between judges, staff, and the people who came to the court. People were working with families to help them through life’s problems,” said Judge Gallagher, an Eighth District Court of Appeals judge since 2003.

When he graduated from Ohio University, he experienced what it’s like to be part of the support system at a court. He started as a probation officer assisting former inmates with reentry. He became a bailiff, maintained a docket, and made sure it ran smoothly. As prosecutor he learned about the people who come into contact with the justice system, working with court personnel, litigants, those accused and victims after life-changing events. Then he administered justice as a Cleveland Municipal Court judge.

“The judicial system can be overwhelming for people because many don’t know how it works. Then you add the stress and emotional toll from the events that bring people to court. Knowing that, each role gave me a chance to be the source of a positive interaction with people,” said Judge Gallagher.

Helping people understand judicial process, the way courts work, and due process maintains confidence in the justice system. Part of fair and equal treatment requires cases be managed in a way that peoples’ lives aren’t being held up by the courts. Judge Gallagher has worked with other jurists on that issue through the Ohio Judicial Conference Criminal Law and Procedure Committee, and as the former chair for the Supreme Court of Ohio’s Commission on the Rules of Practice and Procedure.

“We provide a valuable service to the public and when we fail to do that in a timely way, it undermines what the judiciary is all about. Couples shouldn’t have to wait longer than necessary for divorces to be resolved. A victim shouldn’t have to wait excessively for justice. And a person charged with a crime has the right to a prompt hearing when their liberty is at stake,” said Judge Gallagher.

The judge is part of that first line of defense in appeals for people who feel their cases and rights weren’t handled accordingly. His work on the appellate level has earned him the privilege to be part of the final word in the Ohio judiciary as an assigned visiting judge for the Supreme Court. He recently heard two cases. He sat for Justice R. Patrick DeWine who recused in the case of a former judge who was convicted of a felony and is challenging a proposed indefinite suspension from the practice of law. The second examines whether an officer’s search of a truck after a traffic stop was constitutional. Justice Patrick F. Fischer recused from the case. The Ohio Constitution provides for the chief justice to select an appellate judge to sit for a Supreme Court case when there is a justice recusal.

From his start as a janitor to hearing cases on the court of last resort, Judge Gallagher has maintained respect for the operation of a court.

“Each position in the justice system provides life experience because what you do and who you work with varies. And each opportunity makes you feel alive for different reasons because what you’re doing is for the sake of others,” Judge Gallagher said.