Supreme Court justice Lincoln Day speaker

VW independent/submitted information

The Van Wert County Republican Central Committee will be holding its Lincoln Day Dinner on Monday, March 4, at the Van Wert Elks Lodge on Elks Drive in Van Wert.  

Featured speaker for the evening will be Ohio Supreme Court Justice Sharon L. Kennedy. Doors will open at 6 p.m. Tickets are $30 per person and are available by contacting any Central Committee member, Committee Chair Thad Lichtensteiger at 419.203.1835, or John McVay at 419.238.4194.

On November 4, 2014, Justice Sharon L. Kennedy was re-elected to a full term on the Supreme Court of Ohio in a decisive victory, winning all 88 counties and garnering 73 percent of the vote. Justice Kennedy first joined the court in 2012, having been elected to fill an unexpired term.

Prior to her term on the Ohio Supreme Court, Justice Kennedy was a judge for the Butler County Court of Common Pleas-Domestic Relations Division beginning in 1999. From 2005 until December of 2012, Justice Kennedy served as administrative judge of that division. During her time as administrative judge, she improved the case management system to ensure the timely resolution of cases for families and children.

Working with state legislators she also championed a “common sense” family law initiative to reduce multiple-forum litigation for Butler County families.

Justice Kennedy began her career in the justice system as a police officer at the Hamilton Police Department. She was assigned to a rotating shift, single-officer road patrol unit working to protect and serve the citizens of the City of Hamilton. 

From the routine, to the heart-pounding, to the heart-breaking, she has seen it all. During her time as an officer, Justice Kennedy also worked undercover operations, implemented crime prevention programs, and later, as a civil assistant, assisted in drafting police policy and procedure for the Accreditation Program.