Green, Harris vie for seat

By Michael Edwards
Contributing Writer
Columbus Post

Current Franklin County Municipal Court Judge James E. Green (R) is seeking a third term on the bench; however, newcomer Attorney Joy Harris (D) also wants that same seat.
Judges serve a six-year term, unless appointed or elected to fill a vacancy. They preside over civil, criminal, and traffic cases, and conduct both jury and non-jury trials. Judges also conduct criminal arraignments and preliminary hearings on felony cases; set bond on criminal charges, issue search warrants and impose sentences when a defendant is found guilty of a traffic or criminal charge.
Appointed to the bench in 1994 to serve an un-expired term, Green was elected to the bench in 1995 and re-elected to his current term in 2001.
Annually, the 14 judges of the Municipal Court General Division (and the one judge of the Environmental Division) elect one of their peers to serve as the Administrative and Presiding Judge for which Green was chosen for 2007. Green was ranked "highly recommended" in a recent poll by the Columbus Bar Association's Judicial Screening Committee and is preferred by 88 percent over Harris by members of the Columbus Bar Association in a preference poll.
" It's not about political party – Democrat or Republican – it's about thoroughness, efficiency and fairness," said Green.
Harris says she is not impressed and believes more work needs to be done.
" I have observed the Franklin County Municipal Court on many occasions – it moves painfully slow for all involved," said Harris, adding that she would seek ways to make it more expedient and efficient.
Green, an experienced trial lawyer and lecturer, says it is the goal of every judge to move the courtroom docket along as quickly as possible but it is not that simple.
“ It's a finely-tuned coordination involving the movement of prisoners, placement of lawyers, courtrooms and public defenders with multiple or conflicting timelines,” emphasizes Green. He insists that for one judge to be inflexible and demand that everyone be at one courtroom at a designated time could grind the entire system to a screeching halt and as a result, serve no one.
" What's more important is the issue of treating each party represented in the courtroom fairly," adds Green.
Harris, a native of Cincinnati, Ohio, practiced law as an attorney with the New York Appellate Division (Court of Appeals) and after five years of active litigation before the New York Supreme Court (trial court). At 30, Harris was appointed to the bench as an Administrative Law Judge.
After three years on the bench, in 1994, Harris resigned from the bench in New York to return to Ohio and marry.
Harris was admitted to the Ohio Bar and began practice in Ohio as an Assistant Attorney General where she represented the Ohio Board of Nursing, Twin Valley Hospital and the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services. During this time, she recovered hundreds of thousands in Medicaid funds owed to the state of Ohio while serving as an Assistant Attorney General.
Harris believes her experience in such a multi-cultural melting pot, as Brooklyn, NY, would allow her to serve the participants of her courtroom well.
" The demographic face of Columbus is changing and it needs a judge, who can grow with it," said Harris citing her experience in mental health and being noted for her judicial temperament. While serving in N.Y., Harris was selected to be a member of a Blue Ribbon Panel of judges based on her judicial temperament, low rate of appeals and consistent and fair adjudication skills. There were only five judges in the state selected for this honor.
" A judge should have an even hand and be consistent in their rulings," stressed Harris. "Furthermore, we need a judge with better discernment on when to seek additional assessment or apply an alternative sentence – I am that judge."
Green says his record, in and out of the courtroom, speaks volumes for his commitment to the people he serves.
" I love this community and its people – and I realize the importance of the work this court does," said Green.
Prior to his appointment as a judge, Green was instrumental in the development of the SIMBA mentoring program as well as the Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) program.
SIMBA is the Africentric mentoring program that matches African-American men with African-American boys involved with Franklin County Children Services. Similarly, CASA a non-profit organization, recruits, screens, trains and supports community volunteers to advocate for the best interests of abused and neglected children involved in court proceedings.
Since donning the judicial robe, Green has initiated a scholarship program at his former high school in Akron as a way to give back and was instrumental in serving with the former CMACAO, the Boy Scouts of America and in the development of the Summer Leadership Internship Program (SLIP). Sponsored by the Columbus Bar Association and Columbus Public Schools, SLIP students work in downtown law firms and government agencies for eight weeks as a paid intern. The students visit the U.S. District Court, the Supreme Court of Ohio, and the Ohio Court of Claims. Two major activities include a mock legislative hearing on a current Ohio bill that they present to state legislators in the Statehouse. They also participate in mock trials in front of real judges in the Franklin County Courthouse.
Harris currently practices with a law firm in Dublin, Ohio, where she specializes in elder care law and estate planning. Harris has five children – two adult children, ages 25 and 22 years old that reside in New York City and three younger children ages 13, 12 and 8 who attend the Columbus Academy. Harris has resided with her family in Hilliard Ohio for almost 14 years.
Green is a member and usher at Corinthian Missionary Baptist Church. Since 1987, Green has lectured as a part-time law instructor at Columbus State Community College.

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