Judge Mary Katherine Huffman of the Ohio Second District Court of Appeals has been selected as the next American Bar Association Judicial Fellow effective January 1, 2023. Judge Huffman succeeds Judge Neil Edward Axel who served as Judicial Fellow since 2018. Prior to her selection as Judicial Fellow, she served as the ABA Judicial Outreach Liaison for the State of Ohio.
A life-long resident of Ohio, Judge Huffman received her B.A. in political science from Wright State University and her law degree from the University of Dayton School of Law, graduating summa cum laude from each institution. She received the Distinguished Alumni Award from the University of Dayton Law School in 2007. Judge Huffman also received an M.A. in Judicial Studies from the University of Nevada in 2015 and a Certificate in Judicial Development General Jurisdiction Trial Skills. In 2019, she earned a Certificate in Judicial Development Dispute Resolution Skills from the National Judicial College.
Judge Huffman served for more than 20 years as a judge of the Montgomery County Common Pleas Court prior to her election to the Court of Appeals late last year. While serving on the Commons Pleas Court, Judge Huffman oversaw that court’s Recovery IS Empowering Court (R.ISE.; formerly known as Women’s Therapeutic Court) docket that focuses on reducing crime by providing support to women whose drug using behavior contributed to their criminal conduct. The RISE docket is a highly structured program, lasting six months to five years, which encourages sobriety through weekly Court appearances, intensive supervision by the Criminal Justice Services Department, urine testing, involvement in treatment, and programming to support important life skills. Since the program’s establishment in 2014, the R.ISE. court has had over 430 participants.
Contributing time outside the courtroom for the improvement of the legal and judicial communities has always been a priority for Judge Huffman throughout her 30-year legal career. She has devoted time to the development of the legal community and provided her experience to the betterment of judicial standards through a number of projects and efforts. She is frequently appointed by the Ohio Supreme Court to mentor new lawyers and judges. She also teaches a variety of continuing education courses for judges.
Judge Huffman has served on the adjunct faculty of the University of Dayton School of Law since 2003, teaching a variety of courses. She also serves on the Specialized Courts Committee and the Criminal Law and Procedure Committee of the Ohio Judicial Conference, the Commission for the Rules of Practice and Procedure of the Ohio Supreme Court, and is a member of the Board of Trustees of the Ohio Judicial College.
Judge Huffman resides in Washington Township, Ohio with her husband Wayne, and is the mother of three adult children and has five grandchildren.
Judge Huffman may be reach at [email protected] for issues and questions related to the JOL Program.