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‘My favorite job of all’
Justices Lanzinger, Pfeifer say goodbye to Ohio Supreme Court
TRACEY BLAIR
Legal News Reporter
Published: December 30, 2016
Ohio Supreme Court Justice Paul E. Pfeifer is retiring from the bench as of Jan. 1 after 24 years of service.
His longtime colleague, Justice Judith Ann Lanzinger, is also saying goodbye to the court after 12 years on Dec. 31.
Although both justices are leaving office due to age restrictions, neither plans on being on the sidelines.
What’s Next?
Justice Pfeifer, a 74-year-old Bucyrus resident, will be joining the Ohio Judicial Conference as its new executive director.
“Early in my career, I had the good fortune of trying cases all over our state,” he said. “Now, after 24 years on the Supreme Court, this position — representing the more than 700 judges of the Ohio Judicial Conference — offers new challenges and exciting opportunities. I’m looking forward to getting started.”
The conference, a state agency within the judicial branch, was created in 1963 by statute. Justice Pfeifer’s position will include studying statewide judicial problems and how to improve them.
Justice Lanzinger, a 70-year-old Toledo resident, said she is open to the possibilities.
“I have so much mental and physical energy,” she said. “I’m going to miss everything about the work at the Supreme Court. It’s been my favorite job of all. It may be difficult to say goodbye before I’m ready, but it leaves the position open for someone else. I’m not sure what’s around the corner, so I’m ready to be surprised.”
One future career possibility for Justice Lanzinger is teaching.
A former educator at St. Jude Elementary School in Toledo, she has continued to teach judicial and legal education classes as an attorney and judge.
“I’ve enjoyed every moment of the Supreme Court,” Justice Pfeifer said. “But 24 years is really long enough. This is the right time for me. I’m very much at peace with the fact that my time on the court is coming to an end. I really think new blood on the court is a good thing.”
The Early Years
Justice Lanzinger was born Judith Hodorowski, the granddaughter of coal miners and daughter of a carpenter. After grade school, she joined the Sisters of St. Francis in Sylvania, attended Lourdes Jr. College and then taught at St. Jude.
After leaving the order as a novice, she graduated magna cum laude from the University of Toledo and received her bachelor’s degree in education and English.
After marrying Robert Lanzinger, a retired home inspector, the couple started a family.
Justice Lanzinger later earned a law degree cum laude at the University of Toledo College of Law, where she was valedictorian of her class. She was named Distinguished Alumna of her alma mater in 2012.
Before taking the bench, Justice Lanzinger worked in Toledo Edison’s legal department and was a Shumaker, Loop and Kendrick associate attorney. Later, as a judge, she won scholarships to earn a master’s degree in judicial studies from the University of Nevada, Reno and the National Judicial College.
While attending the university, Justice Lanzinger discovered a hidden talent.
“I became interested in poetry during a Law and Literature course while pursuing my master’s,” she said. “Poetry is a great judicial stress relief. I kind of turned to it during times I needed to decompress.”
Justice Pfeifer grew up on his family’s dairy farm down the street from his current home.
“I had great parents,” he said. “I grew up in a rural area. It was an `Ozzie and Harriet’ world. My dad was president of the local school board. I became interested in politics at a young age.
“Growing up watching `Perry Mason,’ I knew I wanted to be a trial lawyer at 15. There were some preachers in the family. They tried to nudge me in that direction, but I wanted no part of that.”
As a teen, he raised purebred Yorkshire hogs to pay for college.
Unique Experience
After graduating from The Ohio State University College of Law, Justice Pfeifer became an assistant attorney general, trying eminent-domain cases involving Ohio’s highway system.
He was a trial and tax lawyer for 20 years at Cory, Brown & Pfeifer. In addition, he also spent several years as a Crawford County assistant prosecutor.
Before being elected to the Supreme Court, he had the unusual distinction of serving in both houses of the Ohio General Assembly — one term in the House of Representatives and four terms in the Senate.
“I loved being on the other side of the bench. Chief Justice Moyer persuaded me to run for the Supreme Court,” Justice Pfeifer said. “I didn’t want to. I thought it would be boring.”
Meanwhile, Justice Lanzinger has a wide-range view of the judiciary — as the only person ever elected to all four levels of Ohio’s court system.
Over the last 31 years, Justice Lanzinger has also served on the 6th District Court of Appeals, the Lucas County Court of Common Pleas and the Toledo Municipal Court.
“I’m very grateful to anyone who has ever voted for me,” she said. “I’ve always been elected. It’s a blessing.”
Justice Lanzinger’s children inherited her love of the law.
In 2013, Joshua Lanzinger joined the Toledo Municipal Court, marking the first time a mother and son are serving together as state court judges.
Her daughter, Mara Lanzinger Spidel, is an attorney for the Ohio Industrial Commission.
The Legacy
Justice Lanzinger said she is proud to be a part of a number of cases over the past 12 years that are important to Ohio residents.
A few that come to mind are the various red-light traffic cases, football players and how they’re taxed and anything involving charter schools.
She combined her mutual passions for writing and technology on the court by starting the Justice Judy blog (http://justicejudy.blogspot.com) in 2010 to give her perspective on the legal profession.
“Not only do judges have to make good decisions, but they have to explain them in an understanding way,” she added. “I’ve blogged the last six years to make things more understandable.”
Justice Lanzinger was also a technology pioneer in other ways.
“I was one of the first to use a website for my campaign. That was in the 1980s,” she said. “I was also the first on the Supreme Court to use a computer on the bench while we were arguing a case. That wasn’t really being done before.”
Justice Pfeifer said one case that stands out to him is when more than 600 school boards challenged the way public schools are funded.
“I was part of the majority on four separate occasions that agreed with the local schools that the funding mechanism was not constitutional,” he said. “That case led to kids getting brand new school buildings.”
No matter what direction Justice Lanzinger ends up going careerwise, she plans to continue to enjoy her artistic endeavors, including playing piano and practicing calligraphy.
“We also have a new puppy who is going to be needing more training,” she said with a laugh.
Justice Pfeifer and his wife, Julie, have two daughters, Lisa and Beth, a son, Kurt, four granddaughters and one grandson.
In his spare time, he and his family will continue to raise purebred Angus cattle on their 550-acre farm.
“The farm is my hobby. We make a lot of hay. It gets me outside and it keeps me healthy,” Justice Pfeifer said. “I have to be outside every day. I’m still blessed with great health. I don’t take a pill of any kind.”
He added that he’s lousy at golf, but that downhill skiing suits his personality much better anyway.
“I love to snow ski, and I like to ski fast,” Justice Pfeifer said. “If you’ve got guts, Mother Nature and gravity will pull you up and down the hill.”