Since making history with his election to the Franklin County Court of Common Pleas in 2020, Judge George Leach has been busy. The out gay husband and father of two was elected by his peers as lead juvenile judge after just one year on the bench—a rare feat—and he has beautified courtrooms by lending out art from his personal collection.
But Leach’s term has not been without its challenges.
“In my first year as judge, an attorney representing a client in my court implied I was sexist against women because of my orientation,” he said. A disqualification petition went up to the state Supreme Court, where it was denied by the chief justice.
“I think that lawyers and litigants were learning to work in this new environment, with an openly gay judge, and had to test it. There have been no issues since. Time goes on, decisions come out, and they realize there is no bias or favoritism. All people are equal here.”
Now, Leach is seeking a second term. He faces an opponent in the Democratic primary this May – he will square off against domestic relations attorney Kelley Boller – a development he welcomes. “Competition is good. It’s the way it’s supposed to be: let the voters decide on which candidate they want to move forward into the general election.”
The Buckeye Flame caught up with the candidate about his re-election bid.
First, tell us what have you been up to since we last chatted in 2020.
Our sons are now going to college, so that makes us empty nesters, which we are trying to deal with. We’re getting reacquainted with each other all over again, as parents do, and it’s been wonderful having them come back from college and talk to you and be little adults.
Also, our courtroom has dramatically changed since I came in; it’s been filled up with artwork that I have painted and some pieces that I’ve collected. That’s helped the environment of the court, to make people feel comfortable—as soon as they walk in the door, they’re struck by beautiful paintings.
Winding down your first term as judge, what do you consider your biggest accomplishments thus far?
After a year on the bench, I was elected by the other six judges to be the lead juvenile judge, which was quite an honor for a new judge. As a lawyer, I represented minors facing serious crimes all the way up to murder, gun charges, car theft and so forth, and I also represented all the parents and children of abuse, neglect, and dependency cases. My peers elected me because of that experience. In fact, my opponent from 2020 [Dana Preisse], who was appointed by the governor [to a different judgeship] after she lost her race against me, nominated me for the position. She was on the bench for almost 25 years prior to her appointment and knew from having worked with me that I was the right person for the job. I was very pleased and honored to have her nomination, as well as that of the other judges on the bench.
What do you hope to focus on in your next term?
I wish we could slow down the court and spend a little more time with people and their cases. Our volume is the largest in the state, and we have half the number of judges that they have in Cuyahoga County. That’s because our court handles domestic, juvenile, and custody cases, civil protection orders as well—everything under one umbrella—whereas in Cuyahoga they split them up. So, we only have seven judges for all of it. While I want to slow down, I don’t think we can—we have to keep going. We have guidelines from the Ohio Supreme Court on how long our cases should take, and we are constantly over our guideline amount. But many of our cases, which often involve children, take extra time and care. Giving them enough time is always a challenge.
We are seeing increased attacks on courts and the rule of law generally by the Trump Administration. Has that impacted your courtroom?
Interesting question, because state courts like ours generally do not handle federal matters. One exception that has emerged involves juvenile immigrants who flee their home countries due to threats of violence, abuse or persecution and seek refuge in the United States.
Under federal immigration law, these juveniles may ask a state court of competent jurisdiction to make certain determinations—for example, that they were trafficked, abused, abandoned or otherwise have a valid basis for leaving their country, and that it is not in their best interest to return. Federal regulations ask state courts to issue what are called “special findings.” These findings do not grant citizenship, but they support the juvenile’s case before immigration officials and can help them receive priority consideration.
As a result, state courts are now being asked to apply federal concepts we would not ordinarily interpret. The attorneys from [Ohio State University] and Capital [University] Law are very skilled at preparing these findings for judges. At first, I was like, “wait a minute—I can’t interpret federal law! That’s not what we do here; we are a state court.”
However, the law evolved. In one of my cases, I followed existing precedent in Franklin County’s Tenth District and denied special findings, including a request to declare abandonment by a parent. The Court of Appeals later reversed the precedent that had constrained me—and, in doing so, effectively reversed my ruling as well—making clear that state courts not only may issue these findings but should do so when appropriate. Now, all judges in our district have that authority.
LGBTQ+ representation in Franklin County and across the state continues to rise—but so have attacks on our community. How do you see representation contributing to a court system that serves everyone with fairness and integrity?
I believe our court treats everyone with fairness and integrity. Though we have people who say we should be more involved, that is not what we, as judges, do. We take your case as a divorce, as a custody matter, as a delinquency matter, and it doesn’t matter to us what religion you are, what race, what orientation. I believe our court serves everyone well. Everyone comes in on the same footing, and we are determined to maintain a fair and just system. 🔥
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