Scot A. Stevenson

Question 1

List your judicial experience (courts and years)

I am currently the Chief Magistrate at the Summit County Domestic Relations Court, and have served at the Court since 2017. Prior to that I was a Summit County Common Pleas Court Judge hearing Felony criminal trials and Civil proceedings in 2016. While I ran a full time legal practice, I also had a number of part-time positions to prepare myself to be a Judge. I served as a Magistrate in Cuyahoga Falls Mayor's Court hearing Traffic and Misdemeanor cases. Before that I was a hearing officer for the State of Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles hearing disputes between automobile  dealers and manufacturers. My first Judicial position was as a small claims Magistrate in Barberton Municipal Court. In part based on this experience and my conduct in this offices, the Akron Bar Association rated me excellent, its highest rank for this election.

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Question 2

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

I believe my non-judicial experience makes me well qualified to serve as a Judge in any Court.  As public servants, Judges need to recognize their primary role is to help resolve cases for the litigants as quickly and fairly as possible. Throughout my professional career, I have strived to find ways to serve the public. While in private practice, I emphasized working with the Volunteer Legal Service Project providing Pro Bono Legal Services to clients in the Summit County area. I was recognized by their Board as Pro Bono Attorney of the year in 2004, 2008 and 2013. Further as an Attorney in private practice, I learned how intimidating court appearances can be for clients who have little or no experience with courts and that delay in the resolution of their cases causes them continuing anxiety. This insight has helped me as a Judge or Magistrate make sure all clients are treated with respect and dignity and have their cases resolved as quickly as possible. Lastly, by serving on various local community boards, I have learned how to accept the opinions and concerns of other members and build a consensus that synergized the best portions of all the parties' comments. As a judicial officer, the most successful settlements are reached by seeking consensus from all parties. Keeping in mind all these experiences has helped me remember my paramount duties as a judicial officer to serve  the public by treating parties with respect and resolving their cases as speedily as possible. 

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Question 3

Why are you running for this particular court seat?

I am running for this seat as I am the most qualified Candidate and I wish to publicly discuss the proper role of Court. With the Court decisions this year, there was a lot of criticism from writers that focused on the policy results of the cases. That criticism is misplaced. Our Courts operate in a three branch government that diffuses governmental power between the branches. In short, the Legislaure passes laws, the Executive enforces laws and the judicial branch interprets laws. A Judge's job is to interpret and follow the Constitution or the law in question to arrive at the result. A Judge is not charged with substituting the Judge's opinion of what is the right policy over the clearly expressed will of the people found in the Constitution or law. If the people want to change the law they can elect legislators to do so. Further, our government shares power between the states and the federal government to diffuse power even more. The United States Constitution creates a federal government of limited scope and powers. The 10th Ammendment  to the Constitution states that powers not given to the federal Government  by the Constitution are reserved to the States or the people. Thus, the Supreme Court correctly returns matters to the states when the constitution does not give power to the federal government. This separation and diffusion of power has served well to keep ultimate power in "we the people" where it rightly belongs.