Robert J. Patton at a glance
- Current role
- Court of Appeals Judge
- Jurisdiction
- Ohio · State
- Judicial service
- Active
Robert J. Patton
Court of Appeals Judge · Eleventh District Court of Appeals
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Biography
Professional career
- Before his appellate appointment, Judge Patton held the role of an Assistant United States Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio — 2006–2023.
- Began his legal career as an Assistant Prosecutor for the Lake County Prosecutor’s Office
- He has also held the role of a Visiting Judge on the Supreme Court of Ohio, hearing cases such as the Ohio Power Company electric security plan matter
Education
- Born in Euclid, Ohio, Patton obtained a bachelor’s degree (1990), a graduate degree (1993), and a law degree (1996) from Cleveland State University
- Cleveland State University College of Law — J.D.
- Cleveland State University — B.A.
Additional information
- Appointed to the Ohio Eleventh District Court of Appeals on May 19, 2023, with his term commencing on June 5, 2023, and is currently set to end on February 9, 2027
- Running for re-election in the Republican primary for the Ohio Eleventh District Court of Appeals on May 5, 2026
- He was retained by voters in November 2024 and was appointed Presiding Judge by his colleagues in 2025
- In 2022, he became Senior Litigation Counsel
- He led the Violent Crimes Unit from 2017 to 2022, supervising prosecutions of federal violent crimes and firearms cases
- Judge Patton has received several prestigious awards for his service, including the United States Attorney General’s Distinguished Service Award in 2013, the IRS Excellence Award, and the EPA Bronze Medal for Commendable Service in 2017
- Saint Ignatius High School
- focusing on federal criminal tax matters investigated by the IRS Criminal Investigation Division
- His prosecutorial work included high-profile cases involving white-collar crimes, bribery, bank fraud, mortgage fraud, securities fraud, mail and wire fraud, tax evasion, money laundering, car-jackings, and Hobbs Act violations, often in collaboration with federal agencies such as the FBI, IRS, Secret Service, and ATF Notable prosecutions include the first Cuyahoga County federal public corruption trial involving Metro-General Hospital construction contracts, a jury trial against the Heartless Felons street gang, and a Cleveland Police Officer prosecuted for cocaine trafficking
- handling over 45 jury trials in areas such as white-collar crime, RICO, money laundering, sex crimes, vehicular homicides, and attempted murders
- He also served in local government as President of the City Council of Willowick for over 10 years, after previously serving as a council member for Ward 3
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 ↗