---
title: "Michael John Ryan | KnowJudges"
canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/michael-john-ryan"
page_type: "judge_profile"
updated: "2026-10-08"
---

# Michael John Ryan

Eighth District Court of Appeals · Court of Appeals Judge

## Profile

- Court: Eighth District Court of Appeals
- State: Ohio
- Role: Court of Appeals Judge
- Service status: active
- Last verified: 2026-07-27

## Summary

Official statewide and applicable court procedural guidance applies to this judge.

## 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.

## Before you appear

- Read the judge-specific standing order first when one is listed.
- Check the docket and case orders for requirements that supersede broader guidance.
- Confirm current remote-access and courtroom technology arrangements before the proceeding.

## Courtroom Rules

### remote hearing exhibits

Scope: 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.

Evidence excerpt: Instructions for submitting exhibits or notifying the court of witnesses.

[Virtual Public Access to Ohio Court Proceedings](https://www.supremecourt.ohio.gov/courts/virtual-court/)
Source checked: 2026-07-26

### remote hearing ground rules

Scope: statewide

Ohio's statewide virtual-court guidance recommends advance ground rules for documents, exhibits, screen sharing, and pre-marking exhibits for remote hearings.

Evidence excerpt: 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](https://www.supremecourt.ohio.gov/courts/virtual-court/)
Source checked: 2026-07-26

### remote recording

Scope: statewide

Ohio's statewide virtual-court guidance states that litigants, attorneys, and the public should be instructed not to record the hearing.

Evidence excerpt: The court should instruct the litigants, attorneys, and the public to not record the hearing.

[Virtual Public Access to Ohio Court Proceedings](https://www.supremecourt.ohio.gov/courts/virtual-court/)
Source checked: 2026-07-26


## Sources

- [Official profile](https://www.ohiojudges.org/directory/ojc-directory/)
- [Official roster](https://www.ohiojudges.org/directory/ojc-directory/)
- [Ohio Judicial Conference Directory official judicial roster](https://www.ohiojudges.org/directory/ojc-directory/)
- [Virtual Public Access to Ohio Court Proceedings](https://www.supremecourt.ohio.gov/courts/virtual-court/)
- [Wikidata: Michael John Ryan](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q139113893)

## JSON-LD

```json
{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@graph": [
    {
      "@type": "WebPage",
      "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/michael-john-ryan",
      "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/michael-john-ryan",
      "name": "Michael John Ryan | KnowJudges",
      "description": "Michael John Ryan, Eighth District Court of Appeals. Source-linked judicial identity, courtroom procedures, and presentation guidance.",
      "dateModified": "2026-10-08",
      "isPartOf": {
        "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/#website"
      },
      "mainEntity": {
        "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/michael-john-ryan#judge"
      }
    },
    {
      "@type": "Person",
      "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/michael-john-ryan#judge",
      "name": "Michael John Ryan",
      "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/michael-john-ryan",
      "jobTitle": "Court of Appeals Judge",
      "worksFor": {
        "@type": "GovernmentOrganization",
        "name": "Eighth District Court of Appeals"
      },
      "sameAs": [
        "https://www.ohiojudges.org/directory/ojc-directory/"
      ],
      "alumniOf": [
        {
          "@type": "EducationalOrganization",
          "name": "Cleveland State University College of Law"
        },
        {
          "@type": "EducationalOrganization",
          "name": "Allegheny College"
        },
        {
          "@type": "EducationalOrganization",
          "name": "Cleveland Heights High School"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
      "itemListElement": [
        {
          "@type": "ListItem",
          "position": 1,
          "name": "KnowJudges",
          "item": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj"
        },
        {
          "@type": "ListItem",
          "position": 2,
          "name": "Ohio",
          "item": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/state/ohio"
        },
        {
          "@type": "ListItem",
          "position": 3,
          "name": "Michael John Ryan",
          "item": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/michael-john-ryan"
        }
      ]
    }
  ]
}
```