Judge Rice for Justice
% Pat O’Connor, Treasurer
8700 E. Market Street, Suite 100
Warren, OH 44484
RiceForJustice
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Judge Cynthia Westcott Rice serves as an Appellate Court Judge for the Eleventh District Court of Appeals. She is currently the Presiding Judge for the court. The court reviews decisions of the trial courts in five Northeast Ohio counties. She was first elected in November 2002. After running for re-election unopposed in 2008, she was re-elected mos
t recently in 2014.
Judge Rice grew up on a small family farm where she learned the value of hard work. She worked her way through college, spending summers on factory lines as a member of UAW and IBEW. She earned a B.S. degree from Purdue University, Krannert School of Management. After graduating from college, she attended law school at The University of Akron School of Law.
Judge Rice brings more experience in criminal law than any other candidate in the race, and anyone else currently on the Ohio Supreme Court. She spent a decade as both a county and federal prosecutor, prosecuting major criminal cases including murder, rape and the illegal drug trade. She wasn’t afraid to take on her own political party when she prosecuted the Democratic Mahoning County Coroner for drug trafficking. She then moved on to become a United States Attorney, where among other things, she worked to fight drug gangs.
Judge Rice has served as an appellate judge for more than a decade. In their 2014 endorsement, the Cleveland Plain Dealer Editorial Board stated that Judge Rice was a “very good judge.” She’s heard more than 3,000 cases and written more than 1,100 opinions. She is also a leader on the statewide bench. She has served as a visiting judge on the Supreme Court of Ohio, as well as in the Second, Seventh, and Ninth Appellate Districts. She is currently the co-chair of the Criminal Law and Procedure Committee, and also serves on the Ohio Judicial Conference’s Executive Committee and Appellate Law and Procedure Committee.
Judge Rice has been admitted to the Ohio and Michigan bar. She is a member of the Ohio State Bar Association. She is also a member of the Trumbull County Bar Association, in which she served as its president from 1996 to 1997. She was a member of its Executive Committee for four years and also a member of its Grievance Committee for three years.
Judge Rice resides in Brookfield, Ohio with her husband, Ronald J. Rice, who is a sitting Judge on the Trumbull County Court of Common Pleas. They have three adult children.
Court denies Chardon School shooter TJ Lane’s appeal
Resume – Cynthia Westcott Rice (PDF)
Highlights:
- A 25-member screening commission for the Ohio Bar Association, a statewide organization for lawyers, has ‘highly recommended’ Warren-based Appellate Judge Cynthia Rice for justice to the Ohio Supreme Court. The Commission on Judicial Candidates deemed Judge Rice’s Republican opponent, Cincinnati Appellate Judge Pat DeWine (son of Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine) as ‘not recommended’.
- “Ohio Democrats can be proud that we have two high-quality candidates running for the Supreme Court,” Ohio Democratic Party Chairman David Pepper said. “Unfortunately, the Ohio GOP can’t say the same.” Two out of three GOP Ohio Supreme Court justice candidates were deemed ‘not recommended’ by the commission.
- “If you want a court not based on politics, but based on experience, she is in many ways the perfect candidate,” Ohio Democratic Party Chairman David Pepper said of Judge Rice.
- “I have more experience practicing criminal law than anyone else currently on the Supreme Court,” Judge Rice said. “I feel I could add a strength to the bench.”
- “She’s a prosecutor and not a politician,” said Kirstin Alvanitakis, Ohio Democratic Party spokeswoman…. “The Supreme Court shouldn’t be a place for political lackeys. It should be a place for serious jurists.
Additional Articles:
- Appeals court judge from Valley seeks seat on Ohio Supreme Court | Youngstown Vindicator
Judge Cynthia Rice Background
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Judge Rice grew up on a small family farm where she learned the value of hard work. She worked her way through college, spending her summers on a factory line as a member of the UAW and IBEW. She attended law school at night while working full time.
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She received her B.S. degree from Purdue University, Krannert School of Management and her J.D. degree from the University of Akron School of Law.
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She spent a decade as both a county and federal prosecutor in Trumbull and Mahoning Counties, prosecuting major criminal cases including murder, rape and the illegal drug trade. She wasn’t afraid to take on her own political party when she prosecuted the Democratic Mahoning County Coroner for drug trafficking. She then moved on to become an Assistant U.S. Attorney, where among other things, she worked to fight drug gangs.
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Judge Rice has served as an appellate judge for more than a decade. She’s heard more than 3,500 cases and written more than 1,100 opinions, and she is a leader on the statewide bench. She has served as a visiting judge on the Supreme Court of Ohio, as well as in the Second, Seventh and Ninth Appellate Districts. She is currently the co-chair of the Criminal Law and Procedure Committee, and also serves on the Ohio Judicial Conference’s Executive Committee and Appellate Law and Procedure Committee.
Resolution 2016-06
WHEREAS, Chapter 9 of the Ohio Democratic Party By-Laws calls for the State Executive Committee to be called for a meeting to consider endorsements for statewide candidates; and
WHEREAS, this November, two Associate Justices of the Ohio Supreme Court are on the ballot; and
WHEREAS, two highly experienced jurists chose to run for these positions in the Democratic Primary; and
WHEREAS, each of the aforementioned offices was uncontested in the March Primary election;
NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Ohio Democratic Party Executive Committee endorse the following individuals for election:
Associate Justice—Judge John P. O’Donnell
Associate Justice—Judge Cynthia Rice
Adopted on May 14, 2016
David Pepper, Chairman William P. DeMora, Secretary