Top row from left: Stark County Family Court Judge Jim James and Logan County Family Court Judge Dan Bratka. Bottom row from left: Magistrates Kenneth Roll and Richard Altman.

Top row from left: Stark County Family Court Judge Jim James and Logan County Family Court Judge Dan Bratka. Bottom row from left: Magistrates Kenneth Roll and Richard Altman.

Magistrates from across the Buckeye state united on October 2-4 for the 24th anniversary of the Ohio Association of Magistrates (OAM) Fall Conference where two judges and two magistrate received awards for their outstanding service.

Judges Jim James and Dan Bratka received Judicial Awards for their continual support of magistrates across Ohio and with the association. Both judges previously served as magistrates and were members of OAM. Judge James is at Stark County Family Court. He was a referee from 1988 to 1999 before he served as a judge. He is currently the chair of the Judicial Conference. Judge Bratka was a magistrate from 2005-2012 before he was appointed to the bench at Logan County Family Court.

Magistrate Kenneth Roll received the OAM President’s Award. The award is given periodically to an OAM member who has provided service above the call of duty. Roll serves the Lake County Common Pleas Court and has been the OAM secretary since 1994.

Magistrate Richard Altman received the Education Award. The association gives the award to a member of OAM or a judge who supports magistrate education. Altman works at Henry County Family Court and is considered a mediation expert. He does education work for OAM through the Ohio Supreme Court Judicial College.

A record-high 275 magistrates attended the conference where Ohio Supreme Court Justice William M. O’Neill spoke about significant Supreme Court cases that were heard during the past year.  The magistrates also had an opportunity to volunteer their time at the Worthington Thrift Shop, where around 40 OAM members helped organize clothes and other items.