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Barberton judge receives common pleas appointment
BENJAMIN WHITE
Associate Editor
Published: November 27, 2013
After two years on the Barberton municipal bench, Judge Christine Croce will fill the void left by retired Judge Judy Hunter on the Summit County Court of Common Pleas bench today. After a career including stints as an assistant county prosecutor and Barberton clerk of courts, Magic City’s first female judge is the court’s second appointment in recent months.
“It’s very mixed emotions for me, because I’m very excited to start this next phase, so to speak, of my judicial career,” Judge Croce said on her last day in her Barberton chambers. “I’ve really become a part of the community, and they have taken me in as part of the community, and I’m definitely going to miss the city of Barberton.”
After the interview process starting with the county GOP and ending in Gov. John Kasich’s office, Judge Croce won the appointment over area attorneys Tom McCarty and Scot Stevenson, the latter of whom is married to Barberton Clerk of Courts Diana Stevenson.
“The other two people whose names were submitted were definitely qualified attorneys that could have just as easily been chosen,” she said.
Along with her duties on the bench and helping handle the court’s budget, Judge Croce helped with the launch of the Barberton Municipal Court’s new mental health docket in February and spearheaded a community seminar on eviction law in April.
As soon as she adjusts to the county bench, the veteran public servant said she hopes to involve herself in the Summit County Valor Court, initiated earlier this year. Though she accumulated valuable civil experience throughout the past two years, she said she expects a small learning curve to come with the appointment – but nothing a bit of research and a mandatory judicial class would not eradicate.
“It’s like any other legal issue,” she said. “If you know the legal standards and you know the legal issues, it’s about reading motions and briefs and researching and making what you believe is the proper ruling.”
Throughout her career, Judge Croce said she has built relationships with all the county judges and many of the other staff. She stressed that will try to make the transition as seamless as possible for current court employees.
“The existing staff that is in place will remain there,” she said. “No one’s going anywhere.”
Judge Croce will enjoy a little less than a year on the bench before running to retain her spot. After four political races, though, she seemed confident looking forward.
“I know what needs to be done, and I know how to do it,” she said.
While other students clamored for associateships at The University of Akron’s OCI, Judge Croce followed her childhood dream of becoming a prosecutor, interning at Akron’s law department from 1992 to 1995. She then served as an assistant county prosecutor under current Ohio Supreme Court Chief Justice Maureen O’Connor until 2001, when she began working for the Summit County Sheriff’s Office as counsel and eventually executive director.
In 2009, Judge Croce won the race for Barberton Clerk of Courts, where she stayed for about two years, implemented online credit card payments and joined the Ohio Court Network to improve efficiency.
After former Judge Greg Macko retired in 2012, she received defeated Democrat Steve Dyer in an election to replace him, and she has run the court along with Judge David Fish since.
In August, Gov. Kasich appointed Judge Jane Davis to fill Judge Elinore Marsh Stormer’s vacancy when Judge Stormer assumed the probate bench.
Though Judge Croce still loves the criminal trial aspect of the judiciary, she said her experience in civil matters proved valuable for her appointment to the county bench.
“I didn’t have a lot of civil experience, so the last couple of years on the bench here, while they’re smaller cases with regards to the monetary amount, I’ve really made an effort to get involved in my civil cases.”
“I just want to thank the governor’s office for having the faith in me,” she said. “I’m going to work hard and make fair decisions and take everybody’s positions into account and try to do the best I can do.”