Ken H Egbert, Jr.

Question 1

List your judicial experience (courts and years)

Ohio Sixth District Court of Appeals, Toledo, Ohio (1988) Judicial extern: researched relevant statutes and case law, wrote legal memorandums, and drafted proposed orders of the court. Perrysburg, Ohio Municipal Court (1989) Certified legal intern: prosecuted misdemeanor cases in Perrysburg Municipal Court as a third-year law student certified to practice law through Rule II of the Ohio Supreme Court's Rules for the Government of the Bar, prior to passing the bar exam and becoming a member of the Ohio bar. Seneca County Common Pleas Court (1989-2009) 19 years of legal and trial experience in Seneca County Common Pleas Court, handling primarily felony criminal cases as a county prosecutor in our local judicial system (General Division- Common Pleas Court I & II - Judge Kelbley; Judge Spellerberg and Judge Shuff, respectively); also handled preliminary hearings in Tiffin Municipal Court, and criminal appeals from Seneca County Common Pleas Court in the Ohio Third District Court of Appeals in Lima, Ohio. Common pleas courts in more than 40 other Ohio counties (2009-2022) 13 years of legal and trial experience in common pleas courts handling felony criminal cases and civil enforcement cases as an Assistant Ohio Attorney General and special prosecuting attorney in judicial systems in more than 40 other Ohio counties: Allen, Ashtabula, Auglaize, Butler, Clermont, Clinton, Columbiana, Crawford, Cuyahoga, Darke, Defiance, Erie, Fairfield, Fayette, Fulton, Gallia, Geauga, Hamilton, Hancock, Hardin, Henry, Highland, Jackson, Jefferson, Knox, Licking, Lucas, Mahoning, Meigs, Mercer, Montgomery, Morrow, Ottawa, Paulding, Putnam, Richland, Shelby, Summit, Trumbull, Williams, and Wyandot; also prosecuted misdemeanor criminal cases in municipal and county courts in various Ohio cities and counties, and handled criminal appeals from common pleas courts and municipal courts in Ohio courts of appeal: Third District Court of Appeals in Lima, Ohio, Fifth District Court of Appeals in Canton, Ohio, and Sixth District Court of Appeals in Toledo, Ohio.  

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Question 2

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

I have administrative management experience as a county office holder, serving 10 years as Seneca County Prosecuting Attorney. This included overseeing a budget for the county prosecutor's office - an office connected directly with the local judiciary - which employed 10 staff members, including 4 assistant prosecutors and the director of the victim assistance program. I will use this administrative experience to work with the other judges and the clerk of courts to choose qualified personnel to operate specialized court programs and to secure available state judicial funding to enhance local court programming such as the PIVOT (Participation in Victory of Transition) Drug Court and technology needs to improve the court's connectivity with on-line platforms such as CourtView and the court website to provide more information about the court's work to the community such as daily and weekly schedules, posting of decisions of interest in significant cases, and moving toward an opt-in electronic notification feature for jury service similar to electronic notifications for dental and medical appointments. I have taught law enforcement and undergraduate students about the law. I have served as an adjunct instructor for the Regional Environmental Enforcement Association. As an attorney facilitator of law enforcement agents and environmental inspectors, I have participated in hands-on training in developing lawful search warrants and presenting a criminal case at a mock trial, serving as a prosecutor, defense attorney, and judge. I have also taught Tiffin University business students about recognizing and preventing fraud in business transactions.  

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Question 3

Why are you running for this particular court seat?

I'm running for Judge of Seneca County Common Pleas Court because I will bring fairness, impartiality, and 32 years of legal and trial experience to the bench upon being elected judge. I have the most common pleas court legal and trial experience among the candidates. For 19 years, I prosecuted felony criminal cases as a county prosecutor in Seneca County Common Pleas Court with Judge Kelbley, Judge Spellerberg, and Judge Shuff presiding. For the past 13 years, I have prosecuted both criminal and civil cases as an Assistant Ohio Attorney General and special prosecuting attorney in common pleas courts in 40 other Ohio counties with dozens of other common pleas judges presiding. I have learned best judicial practices in the management and adjudication of these common pleas court cases. With this unique legal experience to draw from, I am ready to bring that knowledge and experience to the bench and serve the citizens of Seneca County. I will listen to all sides of a case with an open mind, treat the parties, victims, witnesses, jurors, and members of the community present in the courtroom with respect, patience, understanding, and compassion. I will uphold the rule of law, our constitutional rights as a constitutional conservative, and judge cases strictly on merit, without any outside influences. In other words, I will exercise judicial independence and decide cases based solely on the facts and the law, not based on the views of any special interest groups. I respectfully ask for your vote.