Judge Christine Mayle sits for a Supreme Court oral argument.

Judge Christine Mayle sits for a Supreme Court oral argument.

Judge Christine E. Mayle enjoys exploring. She’s done it throughout her legal career by what she’s practiced and where she’s practiced it.

“I always love learning something new, whether it’s an industry or area of law. I don’t think that will ever get old,” said Judge Mayle, on the Sixth District Court of Appeals since 2017.

As a private attorney, she travelled across the country and internationally to handle business litigation and arbitration. Some of her cases included negotiating a case in Paris over the dismantling and shipment of a defunct U.S. steel mill, and another involving a South African winery and its process to make sparkling wine.

The opportunity to handle different cases across the world was the result of Judge Mayle’s curiosity.

“At first, I didn’t know what type of lawyer I wanted to be,” she said. “I followed my interests and passions where they led me.”

Eventually, that destination would be the bench. In addition to general litigation and arbitration, she was also doing appellate work. Amid the variety of cases and environments, she saw the difference good judges can make in resolving disputes and that she could be one of them.

“I knew I had a true passion for the rule of law and equal justice,” said Judge Mayle.

Being on the appellate bench allowed her to expand her legal knowledge in other fields of law, including criminal, family law, and civil rights. That experience led her to the Supreme Court of Ohio, where she has sat three times.

“The sheer feeling that you get from being in that building is something that stays with you,” said Judge Mayle, who recently heard an oral argument as an assigned visiting judge.

She sat for Justice Joseph T. Deters in a case that brings into question the specifics of a libel lawsuit. When there is a justice recusal, the Ohio Constitution allows the chief justice to select an appellate judge to sit for a Supreme Court case.

The judge’s service on the state’s highest court reflects her work as a lawyer and judge, with the practice of law taking her to interesting places physically and intellectually. But always with the same direction.

“As a legal professional, I’m there to help people and businesses overcome problems,” said Judge Mayle.