About Us
The mission of the Eighth District Court of Appeals is to provide an impartial and accessible forum where appeals and original actions are timely and fairly decided under the law.
With jurisdiction over Cuyahoga County, the Eighth Appellate District is the largest and one of the busiest appellate courts in Ohio. Randomly assigned, its twelve judges sit on three-judge panels. Weekly, nine or more cases are allocated to each panel for review. Each judge reads the briefs filed by the parties, reviews the lower court record, and with the aid of legal staff, conducts research on the issues presented.
Oral arguments are primarily scheduled for Tuesdays and Wednesdays, most weeks throughout the year, with each side given 15 minutes to present its case. Twenty-seven or more cases are scheduled for hearing in three courtrooms, all of which are open to the public. The court calendar contains a schedule for upcoming hearings. Following oral arguments, the judges conference the cases. One of the judges is randomly selected to write an opinion, which states the ruling of the panel and contains an analysis of the legal issues and the reasons underlying the decision. If one of the judges on the panel does not agree with the decision, he or she may write a dissenting opinion, which is released with that of the majority. Opinions are released weekly, generally on Thursdays.
A party dissatisfied with a decision may appeal it to the Ohio Supreme Court. However, unlike an appeals court that accepts every case, the Ohio Supreme Court generally has the discretion to accept or decline an appeal. On average, the Supreme Court accepts only about ten percent of those cases. As a result, the Eighth District Appellate Court is the court of last resort for the majority of civil and criminal litigants in Cuyahoga County.
The Main Courtroom of the Eighth Appellate District, located on the second floor off the Great Hall of the Cuyahoga County Court House, is one of the most impressive in Ohio. Completed in 1912, it has remained virtually unchanged and retains a timeless elegance. Visitors are welcome between 8:30 am and 4:30 pm except when the Court is in session. Occasionally tours will meet the judges who are always delighted to answer questions about the court and its history.
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Statement:
The Eighth District Court of Appeals aspires to create a professional environment that fosters a sense of belonging and access to justice for all. The court actively works to eradicate bias and discrimination through an engaged DEI committee, promotion of the full and equal access to the Court and the justice system, and internal education, training, and team-building initiatives. The Court strives to hold itself accountable to ensure that all voices are heard, perspectives considered, and individuals respected within our community and through our public service.
Judges
Court Administration
Location
1 W. Lakeside Avenue, #202
Cleveland, Ohio 44113
Hours Of Operation
Conference and Staff Attorneys
The Conference Attorneys, who have offices on the first floor of the Cuyahoga County Court House, conduct the Appellate Court's Prehearing Conference Program established in 1991. The program is designed to settle civil cases before the parties in pending appeals incur the expense and time required to bring the dispute to oral argument and judicial decision.
The Staff Attorneys, who have offices of the second floor of the Cuyahoga County Court House, conduct legal research, prepare legal memoranda, assist the Judges on a wide range of legal subjects, and respond to inquiries by attorneys and litigants on court procedure.
Judge Eileen A. Gallagher is a native Clevelander, having been born and raised in Cleveland’s Puritas-Longmead area. She is a graduate of St. Augustine Academy (1974), received her Bachelor of Arts degree from Ohio Dominican College in Columbus, Ohio (1977), and her Juris Doctorate from the Cleveland Marshall College of Law (1987). She has received judicial education through the National Judicial College, the Ohio Judicial College, the American Academy of Judicial Education, and the New York University College of Law — Institute of Judicial Administration.
Judge Mary J. Boyle was first elected to the Eighth District Court of Appeals in 2006 and reelected in 2012 and 2018. Judge Boyle continues to bring her passion for the law and commitment to justice to the appellate bench, where she was elected by her colleagues to serve as the court’s Administrative Judge in 2014 and 2021.
Judge Deena R. Calabrese joined the Court on January 1, 2025, following her election in November 2024. She previously served for over fifteen years as a judge in the Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas, General Division. As a trial judge, she presided over complex, high-stakes cases, including multiple aggravated murder trials with death specifications, earning a reputation for fairness, diligence, and legal acumen. She was one of five Cuyahoga Common Pleas judges assigned to the Mental Health and Developmentally Disabled Docket, a unique docket dealing with seriously mentally ill and developmentally disabled defendants.
Judge Lisa Forbes was elected to the Eighth District Court of Appeals on November 3, 2020. Prior to joining the bench, Judge Forbes was a partner in the Cleveland office of the law firm Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease LLP where she practiced in the area of complex litigation. As a litigator, Judge Forbes represented clients in state and federal trial and appellate courts throughout Ohio for 27 years.
Judge Eileen T. Gallagher was elected to the Eighth District Court of Appeals in 2012, and brings her dedication and enthusiasm of the law to the reviewing bench.
Judge Sean C. Gallagher was elected to the Ohio Court of Appeals on November 5, 2002. Prior to his election he served as a judge in the Cleveland Municipal Court from 1997 to 2002. Judge Gallagher has forty years of direct experience in all areas of the Ohio justice system. He, literally, worked his way up from the “ground floor,” having started as a janitor cleaning courtrooms at the Cuyahoga County Juvenile Court in the 1970s, while home on break from Ohio University.
Judge Emanuella D. Groves was elected to the Eighth District Court of Appeals on November 3, 2020, her term commencing February 11, 2021. Prior to her election, Judge Groves served 18 years as a trial court judge in the Cleveland Municipal Court where she was first elected in 2001. Her commitment to justice and the well-being of the community is evidenced by the legacy she left at the municipal court.The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette wrote in 2016, “It isn’t often Pittsburghers look to Cleveland for help.” But that is exactly what they did when Judge Groves ruled the Regional Transit Authority (“RTA”) Health Line fare-enforcement practice unconstitutional. This decision caused RTA to immediately terminate its practice of having law enforcement officers board buses and demanding that all passengers produce proof of payment without any evidence that the passengers had failed to pay. Thereafter, Pittsburgh abandoned its consideration to adopt the RTA practice.
Judge Kathleen Ann Keough was first elected to the Eighth District Court of Appeals in November 2010 and commenced her term on January 1, 2011. She was re-elected in 2016 to her second term. Born and raised in the Greater Cleveland area, Judge Keough received her Bachelor of Arts degree in English and History from Youngstown State University, and her Juris Doctorate degree from The Cleveland Marshall College of Law. Prior to her election to the Cleveland Municipal Court bench in 1995, where she served for 15 years until being elected to the Court of Appeals, she worked in the Cuyahoga County Public Defender's Office. This time with the agency gave her almost a decade of experience in the Appellate, Juvenile and Felony Divisions of Common Pleas Court.
Judge Mary Eileen Kilbane was first elected to the Eighth District Court of Appeals in 2004. Judge Kilbane graduated from John Carroll University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in History and received her Juris Doctor degree from Cleveland-Marshall College of Law. Prior to her election to the Eighth District, Judge Kilbane served as a Cleveland Municipal Court judge for nine years.
Judge Anita Laster Mays was elected to the Ohio 8th District Court of Appeals on November 4, 2014. Judge Laster Mays served 11 years as a judge on Cleveland Municipal Court. There she was in charge of the Cleveland Mock Trial Competition, the Federal Weed and Seed Docket, the Mental Health Docket and the Greater Cleveland Drug Court. As the drug court judge, 80% of the graduates remained drug free and living productive lives. Additionally, Judge Laster Mays was selected to be a member of the Specialized Docket Advisory Board of the Ohio Supreme Court to create policy and procedures for specialized dockets in the State of Ohio.
Judge Michael John Ryan was elected to the Eighth District Court of Appeals on November 8, 2022, to serve out the remainder of the term of the late Judge Larry A. Jones Sr., who had been both a friend and mentor to Judge Ryan throughout Judge Ryan’s legal and judicial career.