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David Hamilton to serve as muni court’s admin/presiding judge
SHERRY KARABIN
Legal News Reporter
Published: March 10, 2023
Overseeing the details surrounding the court’s move to the Oliver Ocasek Building and the transition to a new state-of-the-art court case management system—those are two of the top items on Akron Municipal Court Judge David Hamilton’s agenda this year in his new capacity as administrative/presiding judge.
Judge Hamilton began serving in the role at the start of 2023 after being unanimously elected by his fellow judges to replace former administrative/presiding Judge Ron Cable, who held the title for 2021 and 2022.
“I am proud to have been selected by my colleagues to oversee such an important year in the history of Akron Municipal Court,” said Judge Hamilton, who took the bench on Dec. 5, 2019. “It is an exciting time for us all as we prepare to move to a new courthouse and unveil a more user-friendly court case management system.”
As administrative/presiding judge, he’s charged with managing the court’s administration, docket and calendar as well as the observance of the rules of superintendence and the timely reporting and termination of all cases.
In addition to those duties, Judge Hamilton continues to hear a full caseload and run the two court-sponsored programs he created, which include COMPASS (Compassion, Opportunity, Mentoring, Purpose, Achievement, Success, Stepping forward) and Raising the Bar.
Unveiled on Nov. 2, 2020, COMPASS provides an alternative to jail for men between the ages of 18 and 36 under the jurisdiction of the Akron Municipal Court who’ve recently become involved in the criminal justice system.
Raising the Bar kicked off in October 2022 as a pilot program designed to expose minority high school students to the legal profession and the many different career opportunities within it.
“I’ve seen firsthand how both of these programs have changed participants’ lives for the better,” Judge Hamilton said.
Judge Hamilton will also be focusing on replacing some of the employees who have retired and/or moved on to other positions.
While much of his time will be spent managing the day-to-day operations of the court and his docket, Judge Hamilton will be staying in close contact with city officials and developers as the court prepares to move into the newly renovated Ocasek Building on S. High Street.
“We are expecting to be in the new courthouse by the third quarter of this year,” said Judge Hamilton. “Special thanks to the work of Judges Oldham and Cable in moving the project forward.”
The court has been located in the Harold K. Stubbs Justice Center (formerly known as the City-County Safety Building) since 1966.
The city of Akron is leasing the first three floors of the Ocasek Building on behalf of the court from the Development Finance Authority of Summit County.
The move will consolidate all the court’s high-volume traffic areas, including the clerk’s office, traffic, arraignment and small claims/eviction courts on the first floor.
The law department, prosecutor’s office and probation department will be on the second floor and the main courtrooms will be on three.
The Summit Legal Defenders office will also have space in the building to meet with clients.
“The building will be updated and will provide easier access to the public, attorneys and other legal professionals,” said Judge Hamilton. “It will also provide improved security and help streamline operations.”
A substantial portion of the building costs and ongoing lease payments are being funded through monies set aside in the court's special projects fund created in 2007.
Additionally, in May Tyler Technologies’ Odyssey Case Management System is expected to go live, replacing the 1987 legacy system with a more efficient, user-friendly platform.
“It’s a very exciting time to be at the helm of this court,” said Judge Hamilton. “I feel like I am a part of history.”