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Court magistrate elected to lead statewide assn.
Published: February 13, 2018
AKRON––Summit County Juvenile Court Magistrate Thomas Freeman has been elected to serve as president of the Ohio Association of Magistrates (OAM) for the upcoming year. He has previously been the treasurer of OAM before his election as president and also sits as the chair of its Juvenile Law Committee.
Established in 1989, the OAM promotes professional growth, effectiveness, and common interests among its membership. The association also convenes to share ideas, issues, and solutions while also offering educational conferences. The OAM also provides a forum for the magistrates to advance input into Ohio’s judicial and legislative processes.
A graduate of the University of Akron School of Law, Freeman was appointed magistrate at the Summit County Juvenile Court by Judge Linda Tucci Teodosio in 2005. He presides over a diverse docket, which includes delinquency, dependency, neglect and abuse, legal custody, status offense, juvenile traffic and adult cases filed at the court. Magistrate Freeman is also responsible for the New Paths probation docket which hears cases involving developmentally delayed youth.
Magistrate Freeman has been involved in local and statewide activities beyond the OAM. He is a member of the Juvenile Law and Procedure Committee of the Ohio Judicial Conference. He is a regular presenter for continuing educational programs for the Ohio Supreme Court Judicial College and the Akron Bar Association. He is also a member of the Riverfront YMCA Advisory Board.
Magistrate Freeman is an avid follower of college and high school basketball. He is a devoted distance runner and hiker and an accomplished mountain climber. Freeman and his wife, Francine, have been married for 33 years and they have raised three children.
Freeman is looking forward to the upcoming year.
“I hope to promote enhanced discussion and dialogue with the members of the association regarding the many facets of the juvenile justice system,” Freeman said. “I appreciate the faith the members showed in placing me in the position of president, and I will do my absolute best to further the message and mission of the OAM.”