Second District Court of Appeals
Candidate: Judge Jeffrey Froelich
Education: Fairview High School; Miami University, BA Cum Laude; University of Michigan Law School; Ohio Judicial College
Experience: Appellate Court Judge; Common Pleas Court Judge; Municipal Court Judge; Assistant Prosecuting Attorney; UD Law School Professor; Practicing Attorney; U.S. Army Reserve
Incumbent: Yes
Candidate: Robert Vaughn
Education: J.D., Capital University Law School, Order of the Curia; B.A., The Ohio State University, Honors Program
Experience: Assistant University Counsel, Cedarville University; assistant professor, Cedarville University; staff attorney and law clerk, Supreme Court of Ohio; Assistant Attorney General, State of Ohio; staff attorney, Court of Claims of Ohio
Incumbent: No
Judge Jeffrey Froelich and his challenger Robert Vaughn agree that many voters don’t have extensive knowledge about the Second District Court of Appeals, but they have different ideas about what makes a qualified candidate for the job.
Froelich has 36 years of experience as a judge, including 16 in municipal court, 14 in common pleas court and the past six in the appellate court after defeating George Reynolds in 2008. Froelich also practiced law and teaches at the University of Dayton law school.
Vaughn has been a staff attorney in the Court of Claims, an assistant attorney general, a case management counsel at the Supreme Court of Ohio and is currently assistant university counsel at Cedarville University, and teaches there. Vaughn also was a law clerk for former Ohio Supreme Court Justice Robert Cupp.
“Life and judicial experience, perspective and ability to analyze the situation, understand the law, apply the two and to do justice but still maintain the integrity of the law,” said Froelich, a Democrat. “That’s what I bring to it… . None of this is OJT (on-the-job training). I have more to learn and more to do.”
Vaughn, a Republican, admits he is the underdog. He frames his never being a judge as not as important due to the more academic type of work done by the appellate court, which is reviewing lower court rulings and only hearing limited arguments from attorneys.
“My abilities are more suited to the Court of Appeals, the style of law and the work that’s done there,” Vaughn said. “I knew I would be better suited there than in a trial setting. It really is a different skill set… . It’s certainly a formidable uphill battle. I don’t want to shrink down from it.”
Froelich defeated Reynolds 52.6 to 47.4 percent in 2008, with Froelich winning Montgomery County 122,470 to 82,717 votes. Vaughn pointed out that Reynolds won the other five counties — Champaign, Clark, Darke, Greene and Miami.
Both candidates said that appellate cases come from all across the spectrum from simple misdemeanor cases to aggravated murder trials and things in between. That can mean family issues such as divorce, custody, adoption or juvenile delinquency, home issues such as imminent domain or foreclosure or employment issues such as discrimination, worker’s compensation, Family and Medical Leave Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act. Very few cases get to Ohio’s Supreme Court, meaning the district appellate courts are the final arbiter in most cases.
“Anything in life is going to potentially end up in a court and have a decision made that affects real people that are not intellectual exercises that somebody can say, ‘Well, I’ve read a book on this so now I understand what the answer is,’ ” Froelich said. “Issues, to me, are people.”
Vaughn said he has worked a wide variety of cases through his administrative jobs and from dealing with his clients.
“Appellate judges must have a working knowledge of multiple legal subjects, and I believe I have prepared myself well for that role,” Vaughn said. “I am confident that the breadth of my experience makes me uniquely qualified.”
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