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Patrick  F. Fischer

Patrick F. Fischer

For Justice of the Supreme Court of Ohio
Full Term Beginning 1/1/2023

*Top Vote-Getter in General Election

Candidate Details

  • Residence
    Cincinnati
  • Email
    FischerForOhio@gmail.com
  • Website
    fischerforohio.com
  • Social Media
    facebook.com/JusticePatFischer
    twitter.com/JudgePatFischer
  • Occupation
    Justice, Ohio Supreme Court, January 1, 2017-present
  • Education

    J.D., Harvard Law School, 1983; cum laude
    A.B., Harvard College, 1980; cum laude

  • Work Experience

    Justice Fischer’s entire adult career of nearly 40 years has been in the legal system. Before becoming a private practitioner, he served as a law clerk to the Honorable William O. Bertelsman, U.S. District Judge for the Eastern District of Kentucky from 1983 to 1984. In 1987, Justice Fischer began working for the law firm of Keating Muething & Klekamp in Cincinnati, Ohio, in the trial department; four years later, he became a partner.

    On December 24, 2010, Justice Fischer was sworn in as a judge on Ohio’s First District Court of Appeals in Hamilton County. During his years on the appellate bench, Chief Justice Maureen O’Connor appointed then-Judge Fischer to hear cases on the Supreme Court of Ohio on two occasions. He also sat as a visiting judge in Ohio’s Second, Fourth, Seventh, Eighth, and Twelfth appellate district courts. On December 30, 2016, Justice Fischer was sworn in and became Ohio’s 157th Supreme Court Justice and began his term on January 1, 2017.

    Justice Fischer’s former practice was concentrated in the field of commercial and complex nationwide litigation, with some emphasis on financial services, securities, antitrust, ERISA, and related disputes. He litigated matters in Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, New York, California, Texas, Colorado, Illinois, Alabama, and Oklahoma, and in numerous federal courts throughout the country, including in the U.S. Supreme Court and the Second, Fifth, Sixth, and Tenth federal circuits.

    Justice Fischer formerly and frequently advised lawyers on legal ethics matters and is still a regular speaker on lawyer ethics and professionalism.

  • Family
    Married with one adult daughter
  • Affiliations

    The late Chief Justice of Ohio, Thomas J. Moyer, named then lawyer Fischer to co-chair the Task Force on Commercial Dockets, a committee which has made the Ohio judicial system more efficient and just, as well as helping to support economic development in the state. Justice Fischer has always had a deep and abiding interest in ethics and professionalism matters and served two terms on the Ohio Supreme Court’s Commission on Professionalism, including serving as Vice Chair. Justice Fischer, as an attorney, also chaired the Cincinnati Bar Association’s Ethics and Professional Responsibility, and its Professionalism, committees.

    A respected member of the legal community, Justice Fischer was elected by his peers to serve as President of the Ohio State Bar Association for 2012-2013, and then served as Immediate Past President. He chaired its Transition and Search Committee, which oversaw the nomination of the OSBA’s current executive director. He served on the OSBA’s Board of Governors, chaired its Budget and Headquarters Committee, and was a member of its Audit committee and its Task Forces on: Legal Education, Judicial Selection, OSBA-Ohio State Bar Foundation Relations, Masters at the Bar, and Organizational Structure. He was a long-time member of its Advisory Council on Diversity Initiatives. In 2014, Justice Fischer chaired the OSBA’s Special Committee on the OSBA Calendar. He also is a past president of the Cincinnati Bar Association (2006-2007) and chaired many Cincinnati Bar Association committees.

    Justice Fischer served on Ohio’s Constitutional Modernization Commission, including its Judicial Branch and Administration of Justice committee as vice-chair, and as a member of its Coordinating committee and Bill of Rights committee. He also served, on two occasions, on the board of the Ohio Lawyers’ Assistance Program.

    In his free time, Justice Fischer has been a dedicated public servant who served on numerous local boards (a license plate even reads: “2 Serv U”) including the Hamilton County Mental Health & Recovery Services Board, and as a founding Trustee of the Cincinnati Children’s Museum Board. Justice Fischer and his wife Jane still live in Pleasant Ridge where he served as President of the Pleasant Ridge Community Council. He is an active member of St. Xavier Catholic Church in downtown Cincinnati, serving as a Eucharistic minister and Lector.

  • Endorsements

    Ohio Chamber of Commerce

    Ohio Business Roundtable

    NFIB

    Ohio Farm Bureau

    Fraternal Order of Police Ohio

    Ohio Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association

    Buckeye Firearms

    Toledo Chamber of Commerce

    Teamsters Ohio

    Ohio Manufacturers Association

    Ohio Right to Life

    A1S4 Protection PAC

    Local 18 of the International Union of Operating Engineers

    Cleveland Area Middle East Organization

    Ohio State Medical Association

Photo of Patrick  F. Fischer Patrick F. Fischer

Question 1

List your judicial experience (courts and years)

Justice, Ohio Supreme Court, January 1, 2017-present
Judge, Ohio First District Court of Appeals, Hamilton County, December 2010-20


Question 2

What non-judicial legal experience qualifies you to be a judge?

Much of my non judicial legal experience is listed above. And there are a few points I wish to emphasize. 

First, I have been a licensed attorney since 1984, and licensed as an Ohio attorney since 1988. I have won decisions from so many differing state and federal trial courts throughput this nation I cannot count all of them. I have been victorious in many state appellate district courts in Ohio, as well as the Sixth, Second, and Tenth federal appeals courts. I even won a case in the US Supreme Court.

I have a vast experience that few attorneys develop. I have represented both plaintiffs and defendants for decades. I had cases in Ohio, plus Kentucky, Illinois, Texas, California, Colorado, Alabama, and other states. My clients consistently re-hired me to handle their legal problems. 

I believe lawyers respect me too. I have been elected president of the Ohio State Bar Association by a vote of its lawyers. I served as president of the Cincinnati Bar Association too. In those and in related endeavors I have chaired ethics, professionalism, and numerous other committees, because lawyers trust my judgment. 

I understand all parts of the American justice system. And I want to continue to improve them. When I am re-elected, I will continue my efforts to make the courts of Ohio even more efficient (I have had some success cutting time off our cases already), all while maintaining its high quality and its integrity. 


Question 3

Why are you running for this particular court seat?

I am running for this position because I want to make the Ohio courts the best state court system in this nation, a goal I have been heading towards for the last 12 years. See all of the above.