MOUNT VERNON — Well-wishers packed the courtroom this morning as Jay W. Nixon took the oath of office as Knox County juvenile/probate judge.
Common Pleas Judge Richard Wetzel administered the oath to Nixon, who was appointed by Gov. John Kasich to fill the unexpired term of Judge Jennifer Springer. Springer took a medical leave of absence in April and retired on Oct. 31.
The swearing-in ceremony, held at 8:45 a.m., preceded a Monday docket that included six or seven hearings. Noting that “we have a lot of work to do,” Nixon said that work does not include an excess of accumulated cases thanks to judges James Ronk, Kenneth Spicer, and Douglas Chamberlain who filled in during Springer’s absence from the bench.
“Luckily, we don’t have much of a backlog,” said Nixon. “The visiting judges did a very good job keeping up. The big things will be doing paperwork and appointing a magistrate.
“Appointing a magistrate will be a priority,” he continued. “It will be nice to be up to two full-time judicial officers again.”
Nixon, who said he has a “short list” of candidates for magistrate, would like to make the appointment by the end of the month.
“That might be a little bit ambitious,” he acknowledged.
Nixon’s unexpired term will end Feb. 8, 2021. He must run in the November 2020 election to retain the seat for the full term beginning Feb. 9, 2021.
Nixon was one of three candidates the executive committee of the Knox County Republican Party recommended to replace Springer. He has served as magistrate since February 2015.
“This is really great because this is the next generation taking over, and that’s good to see,” said Executive Committee Member Doug McLarnan regarding Nixon’s appointment. “He’s young enough to be open and old enough to be seasoned. As a magistrate, he’s had some experience, and he’s very involved in the community.”
The 38-year-old Nixon received his bachelor’s degree from Ohio University and his law degree from the University of Dayton School of Law. He was previously an associate attorney with Zelkowitz, Barry, & Cullers, Ltd.
