DeWine names longtime assistant prosecutor Keith McGrath to Franklin County appeals court

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine announced Tuesday that he has appointed Keith McGrath, a former Franklin County senior assistant prosecutor, to fill a judicial vacancy on the Ohio 10th District (Franklin County) Court of Appeals.

McGrath, of Columbus, will join the appellate bench April 27, replacing Judge Susan Brown, also a Republican, who retired. He will have to seek reelection to the seat in the November general election.

McGrath worked for more than 20 years under longtime Franklin County Prosecutor Ron O'Brien— a Republican who was defeated in 2020 by current Prosecutor Gary Tyack, a Democrat.

A member of the U.S. Coast Guard from 1984 until 1987, McGrath received his law degree from Ohio State University's College of Law, and his undergraduate degree from Marshall University.

McGrath began his law career in 1993 as an assistant city prosecutor for the City of Columbus, according to the announcement from the governor's office. Following that, he was a contract attorney for over three years at Wilmer, Cutler & Pickering in Washington, D.C.

The 10th District Court is currently split between four Democrat and four Republican judges, who sit on three-member panels and hear criminal and civil appeals from all divisions of the Franklin County Court of Common Pleas as well as appeals from Franklin County Municipal Court, the Ohio Court of Claims, and numerous state administrative agencies headquartered in Columbus.

Though most appeals districts encompass multiple counties, the 10th District Court of Appeals only encompasses Franklin County, according to the court’s website.

Four of the eight 10th District appellate judge positions will be up for election in 2022. According to the Franklin County Board of Elections, McGrath will join fellow Republican Laura Nesbitt and four Democrats, Carly Edelstein, Ohio Rep. Dave Leland, Julia Dorrian and Kristin Boggs in seeking election as appellate judge.

Editor's note: A previous version of this story incorrectly reported Dave Leland's status as a member of the Ohio House Representatives. Leland is currently a member of the Ohio House of Representatives.

Cole Behrens is a reporter at The Columbus Dispatch covering public safety and breaking news. You can reach him at CBehrens@dispatch.com or find him on Twitter at @Colebehr_report

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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Keith McGrath appointed to appeals court in Franklin County