Judges of the Parma Municipal Court
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| Judge Deanna O'Donnell | Judge Timothy P. Gilligan | Judge Kenneth R. Spanagel |
The Parma Municipal Court is a statutory Court;
that means it was created by Statute, as opposed to Common Pleas Courts, which
are established in the Ohio Constitution. Municipal Courts and the
similar County Courts were created in 1953, and replaced the old Justice of the
Peace System. Parma Municipal Court has three Judges. The first was
created in 1953, and the other two were created by the General Assembly as the
population grew. By statute, the Parma Municipal Court serves the cities
of Brooklyn, Parma, Parma Heights, North Royalton, Broadview Heights, Seven
Hills, the Villages of Linndale and Brooklyn Heights, as well as all Metroparks
located in those jurisdictions.
Judges are elected to six year terms, in odd
numbered years. The three Judges of our Court are elected in staggered
years, which means that in each odd numbered year, one of the judicial seats is
up for election. To be elected Judge, one must be a licensed Attorney and
have a certain number of years of practice experience as a requirement to be
elected. Judge’s positions are full time, and Judges of our Court cannot
practice law while they sit on the bench
The Judges preside over what are called General
Session matters, which include Evictions, Criminal Arraignments, and
Garnishments, and personal dockets, which are those cases which have been
assigned to a specific Judge, whether Civil or Criminal. They also perform
weddings at the Court.
Each Judge has a personal Assistant called a
Bailiff. The Bailiff is the contact person between the Judge and the
parties to cases. Judges are bound by strict ethical rules which must be
obeyed. This includes contact with parties without all persons being
present, which is called an ex parte communication. Judges are not
permitted to have ex parte conversations with parties to an action, unless all
are present. A person who has inquiries about a case should contact the
Bailiff, who would then deal with the Parties’ request.
All Court proceedings are open to the public.
For more information as to what types of cases are heard when, please contact
the Court.