COLUMBUS — Governor John R. Kasich today announced that he has selected Judge Mary DeGenaro of the 7th District Court of Appeals to replace Ohio Supreme Court Justice William O’Neill, who has announced that he will retire on January 26. O’Neill has served on the Supreme Court of Ohio since 2013 and his term expires on January 1, 2019. DeGenaro must run in Nov., 2018 to retain the seat.

“Judge DeGenaro is a distinguished legal thinker and I am proud to appoint her to the Supreme Court. She is an accomplished judge with a record of working constructively with colleagues and she has served with distinction as a visiting justice to the Supreme Court on several occasions. Her command of the law is strong and she brings a conservative philosophy to the court that is evident in her 17-year record on the appellate bench. Ohioans are fortunate to have committed judges like her and I am glad that her skills and ability will now be put to work on our state’s highest court,” said Kasich.

DeGenaro, a graduate of Cleveland State University’s Cleveland-Marshall College of Law (1986), served 14 years in private practice before her election in 2000 as judge on the Seventh District Court of Appeals, based in Youngstown. She served as presiding judge on that court for the 2007-08 and 2013-14 terms and has sat by assignment on the Ohio Supreme Court and numerous appellate district courts.

DeGenaro is vice president of the Ohio Women’s Bar Association and has served on the executive committee of the Ohio Judicial Conference since 2013. She has volunteered as a judge with the Ohio High School Mock Trial Competition since 2002 and collaborates with the Ohio Civility Consortium, designed to educate and promote civil discourse.