Michael John Ryan at a glance
- Current role
- Court of Appeals Judge
- Jurisdiction
- Ohio · State
- Judicial service
- Active
Michael John Ryan
Court of Appeals Judge · Eighth District Court of Appeals
Biography
Professional career
- On December 19, 2022, Ryan was sworn in as a judge of the Ohio Eighth District Court of Appeals, filling the remainder of the term of the late Judge Larry A. Jones Sr., who had been his mentor
- Began his legal career as an Assistant Prosecuting Attorney for the City of Cleveland and later worked in private practice specializing in criminal defense and arbitration
Education
- Cleveland-Marshall College of Law in, gaining admission to the Ohio Bar the same year — J.D. (1996)
- B.A. in English from Allegheny College in 1993
- Cleveland State University College of Law — J.D.
Additional information
- Running for re-election to the Ohio Eighth District Court of Appeals in the general election on November 3, 2026, after advancing from the Democratic primary on May 5, 2026.
- His mother passed away when he was 13, and he later lived with his maternal grandmother while attending Cleveland Heights High School, graduating in 1989.
- Elected to the Cleveland Municipal Court, serving seven years and becoming the youngest African American male elected to that court.
- He then held the role of a magistrate for Cleveland Municipal Court for over four years, gaining bench experience before running for office
- He subsequently served ten years on the Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas, Juvenile Division, also as one of the youngest and few African American judges in that role.
- Michael John Ryan was born into a challenging environment, raised by a teenage mother while his father was incarcerated, and experienced early exposure to domestic abuse, neglect, and instability.
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 July 27, 2026.
Biography sources checked August 2, 2026.
Ohio Judicial Conference Directory official judicial roster
Identity source · HTML · Source checked July 27, 2026
View Ohio Judicial Conference Directory official judicial roster ↗Virtual Public Access to Ohio Court Proceedings
Statewide source · HTML · Source checked July 26, 2026
View Virtual Public Access to Ohio Court Proceedings ↗