Mary L. Wiseman
Judge of the Montgomery County Court of Common Pleas
Assumed office
2007
Appointed byTed Strickland
Preceded byJohn Kessler
Personal details
Born
Mary Lynn Wiseman[1]

(1961-11-17) November 17, 1961
Chilicothe, Ohio, U.S.
EducationBall State University (BS)
University of Arkansas at Little Rock (JD)

Mary L. Wiseman (born November 17, 1961) is an American lawyer and judge from Ohio. On October 22, 2007, Ohio Governor Ted Strickland appointed her to the Ohio Courts of Common Pleas for Montgomery County.

Early life and education

Wiseman was born in Chillicothe, Ohio and spent most of her childhood in Greenfield, Indiana. She received her bachelor's degree from Ball State University in 1984 and a Juris Doctor from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock School of Law in 1988.[2]

Career

In 1991, Wiseman became a partner at the law firm of Faruki Ireland and Cox P.L.L. A Democrat, Wiseman was elected in 1998 to the Dayton City Commission, serving until 2002 when she declined to run for a second term. A lesbian, she was the first openly gay person elected to public office in Dayton. In 2005, she became a shareholder at Coolidge Wall Co. LPA.[3]

Ohio Court of Common Pleas

Upon her 2007 appointment to the bench, Wiseman became the first openly gay judge in the history of the state of Ohio.[4]

During her first year as a judge, Wiseman presided over the high-profile trial of China P. Arnold, a mother found guilty of burning her month-old baby to death in a microwave oven. Wiseman sentenced Arnold to life in prison without the possibility of parole.[5][6]

Wiseman sought election to the post in 2008. She looked set to face a challenge in the Democratic primary from District Court judge [[, but he withdrew in January 2008 following a controversy over allegedly homophobic comments he had made during the campaign.[7][8] She faced Margaret M. Quinn, a Republican but ended up winning by 53% to 47%.[9]

Wiseman is admitted to the bar in Ohio, Arkansas, the United States District Court for the Southern District of Ohio, the United States District Court for the Northern District of Ohio, and the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, Sixth Circuit, Seventh Circuit, Eighth Circuit and Ninth Circuit, as well as the Supreme Court of the United States.[10] She is a member of the Ohio State Bar Association and the American Bar Association.[11]

Consideration for federal judicial nomination

In 2009, Wiseman was shortlisted for a vacancy on the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio.[12] Ohio's two U.S. Senators – Sherrod Brown (D–Lorain) and George Voinovich (R–Cleveland) – convened a bipartisan commission to recommend candidates for the vacancy, with Wiseman emerging as one of three finalists. In July 2009, Brown and Voinovich recommended U.S. Magistrate Judge Timothy Black to Barack Obama for appointment to the seat.[13]

See also

References

  1. "Hon. Mary Wiseman – Montgomery County Common Pleas Court".
  2. Schneck, Ken (2021-10-04). "The Historic and trailblazing journey of Mary Wiseman, Ohio's first out LGBTQ+ judge". The Buckeye Flame. Retrieved 2022-10-14.
  3. "Mary Wiseman".
  4. "New county judge makes history", Dayton Daily News, 2007-10-30, retrieved 2007-10-31
  5. "Life for microwave baby killer", BBC News, 2008-09-09, retrieved 2008-09-23
  6. "Life in jail for mother who microwaved baby", Irish Times, 2008-09-09, retrieved 2008-09-23
  7. "Ohio's first lesbian judge faces a primary challenger", Gay People's Chronicle, 2008-01-11, retrieved 2008-01-17
  8. "Wiseman's challenger drops out after flap over comment", Gay People's Chronicle, 2008-02-01, retrieved 2008-02-01
  9. Election Summary Report (PDF), Montgomery County Board of Elections, 2008-11-04, archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-07-19, retrieved 2008-11-04
  10. Burnham Graphic Arts // Qualitis Plus. "Official biography". Montcourt.org. Archived from the original on 2013-12-03. Retrieved 2013-12-05.
  11. "Mary Wiseman Appointed to Montgomery County Court of Common Pleas", Supreme Court of Ohio Press Release, 2007-10-22, archived from the original on 2008-04-30, retrieved 2007-10-31
  12. "Wiseman a finalist for federal bench". Dayton Daily News. 2009-06-25. Retrieved 2009-07-07.
  13. "Wiseman passed over for judge appointment". Dayton Daily News. 2009-07-07. Retrieved 2009-07-07.
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