Judge Mark P. Painter was elected to the Ohio First District Court of Appeals in November of 1994, with 77% of the vote. For the previous 13 years, Judge Painter served on the Hamilton County Municipal Court.
A Cincinnati native, Judge Painter attended the University of Cincinnati, where he was elected student Body President in 1969, receiving a B.A. in 1970, and a J.D. in 1973. He practiced law for nine years before becoming a judge.
Judge Painter is recognized as one of the outstanding legal scholars in Ohio, and, as a municipal court judge, was the most-published trial judge in the state. To date, 120 of Judge Painter's decisions have been published nationally, and he is co-author of Ohio Driving Under the Influence Law (WestGroup, now in ninth edition, 1998), the only legal textbook on DUI in Ohio.
For nine years, Judge Painter has served as an Adjunct Professor at the University of Cincinnati College of Law, teaching Agency and Partnership. He also teaches DUI law, appellate practice, legal writing, and legal ethics to judges and lawyers throughout Ohio. He has lectured at more than 65 seminars for, among others, the Ohio Judicial College, the Ohio Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, the Ohio Academy of Trial Lawyers, and the Ohio Continuing Legal Education Institute.
Judge Painter has served as a Trustee of the Cincinnati Freestore/Foodbank, the Cincinnati Bar Association, and the Citizens School Committee. He is a Master of the Bench Emeritus of the Potter Stewart Inn of Court, and served for three years as a member of the Ohio Supreme Court Board of Commissioners on Grievances and Discipline. Judge Painter is a member of the Cincinnati, Ohio State and American Bar Associations and the American Judicature Society.