William Michael O'Neill at a glance
- Current role
- Former Judge
- Current assignment
- Ohio Supreme Court
- Jurisdiction
- Ohio · State
- Judicial service
- Former
William Michael O'Neill
Former Judge · Supreme Court of Ohio
Biography
Professional career
- Judge, Ohio Supreme Court, 2013-present
- William Michael O’Neill is an American lawyer, judge, and political figure who held the role of the 156th Justice of the Ohio Supreme Court from January 2, 2013, until his resignation on January 26, 2018
- O’Neill began his judicial career in 1997 as a judge on the Ohio Eleventh District Court of Appeals, serving until 2007
- Before that, he was Assistant Attorney General of Ohio (1984–1996)
- He also practiced law in private practice, founding O’Neill & Brown in Geneva, Ohio
Education
- He graduated from Ohio University (BA, 1969) and Cleveland State University College of Law (JD, 1980).
- J.D. — Cleveland-Marshall College of Law and a nursing degree from the Huron School of Nursing
Additional information
- O’Neill resigned in 2018 with about a year remaining on his term
- In 2012, he was elected to the Ohio Supreme Court for a full term, joining the bench in 2013.
- Born May 6, 1947, Cleveland, Ohio.
- Date of birth: 1947-05-06
- representing the Ohio Civil Rights Commission and the Industrial Commission of Ohio.
- handling civil and criminal cases
- A Vietnam veteran, O’Neill served in the U.S. Army, earning the Bronze Star and Army Commendation Medal, and retired as a lieutenant colonel in the Ohio National Guard
- He also obtained a nursing degree from Huron School of Nursing.
- 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 August 22, 2026.
Biography sources checked August 2, 2026.
Supreme Court of Ohio current judicial profile
Identity source · HTML · Source checked August 22, 2026
View Supreme Court of Ohio 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 ↗