Melody J. Stewart at a glance
- Current role
- Judge
- Court
- Ohio Court of Appeals
- Current assignment
- Ohio Court of Appeals
- Jurisdiction
- Ohio · State
- Judicial service
- Active
Melody J. Stewart
Judge · Ohio Court of Appeals
Biography
Professional career
- Judge, Ohio Court of Appeals, 2006-present
- Succeeded by Justice Joe Deters in 2025
- The 161st Justice of the Supreme Court of Ohio, serving from January 2, 2019, to January 1, 2025, and making history as the first African American woman elected to the state’s highest court
- In the 2018 general election, she defeated incumbent Justice Mary DeGenaro to win a seat on the Ohio Supreme Court
- She also held the role of the court’s Administrative Judge in 2013 Supreme Court of Ohio
Education
- Ph.D. — Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences, Case Western Reserve University (2008) She also received an Honorary Doctor of Laws from Cleveland State University Supreme Court of Ohio
- University of Cincinnati
- Ph.D. — Case Western Reserve University's Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences
Additional information
- She has been recognized with multiple awards, including the St. Thomas More Award (2021) and the Nettie Cronise Lutes Award (2021)
- Stewart was first elected in 2006 to the Ohio Eighth District Court of Appeals and served two full terms, later reelected in 2010 and 2016.
- Date of birth: 1965-10-02
- Born February 19, 1962, Cleveland, Ohio.
- Her judicial work included hearing cases in other appellate districts and in the Ohio Supreme Court.
- She was admitted to practice in Ohio state and federal courts, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. Supreme Court
- Taught at University of Toledo College of Law and Ursuline College She also served on numerous boards, including the Ohio Criminal Justice Recodification Committee, the Ohio Supreme Court’s Judicial College board, and Euclid’s Board of Planning and Zoning
- Birth place: Cleveland
Applicable Court Rules & Procedures
Remote appearances
Statewide
Ohio's statewide virtual-court guidance tells courts to include instructions for submitting exhibits or notifying the court of witnesses when remote-hearing information is sent to participants.
Instructions for submitting exhibits or notifying the court of witnesses.Virtual Public Access to Ohio Court Proceedings ↗
Statewide
Ohio's statewide virtual-court guidance recommends advance ground rules for documents, exhibits, screen sharing, and pre-marking exhibits for remote hearings.
Documents: Share any documents/exhibits that will be reviewed in advance. Use the share screen function while documents are being discussed during the hearing. Request that the documents are pre-marked for exhibit purposes.Virtual Public Access to Ohio Court Proceedings ↗
Statewide
Ohio's statewide virtual-court guidance states that litigants, attorneys, and the public should be instructed not to record the hearing.
The court should instruct the litigants, attorneys, and the public to not record the hearing.Virtual Public Access to Ohio Court Proceedings ↗
Sources
Identity source checked June 30, 2026.
Biography sources checked August 2, 2026.
Ohio Court of Appeals current judicial profile
Identity source · HTML · Source checked August 2, 2026
View Ohio Court of Appeals current judicial profile ↗Virtual Public Access to Ohio Court Proceedings
Statewide source · HTML · Source checked July 26, 2026
View Virtual Public Access to Ohio Court Proceedings ↗