Summit County Common Pleas: Muni Judge Lynne Callahan Announces

The Breaking News section of Ohiodotcom reported last night that Akron Municipal Court Judge Lynne Callahan announced that she's seeking a seat on the Court of Common Pleas. What the story does not say is which seat she is seeking. Judge Marvin Shapiro is definitely retiring due to the 70-year age limit. Local attorney Bob Gippen has announced he will seek the nomination for that seat (and full disclosure, I've worked with Bob on a pro bono project before. I've found he's a good guy and a smart lawyer.)

The other judge who may be stepping down is Mary Spicer. Her seat is up, and the extant clues suggest she's close to seventy herself. Shapiro and Gippen are both Democrats; Spicer and Callahan are both Republicans. Callahan is probably as strong a candidate as the Republicans could run for Common Pleas right now. If Gippen wins Shapiro's seat and Callahan runs for and wins Spicer's the balance on the court would remain static.

Any other year, that's what we would expect. In fact, any other year, we could expect token opposition at best in each race. But this is the year of Alex v. Kevin, and that sort of arrangement, whether or not actually arranged, is a central point of contention in that battle. So we shall see.

In the meantime, this being the last business day before the holidays, I was unable to fill in the blanks. If you have information, do share, either in comments or drop me a line.