Age is the only limit for judges’ terms

A Constitutional Modernization Commission will be meeting this year to consider changes to the Ohio Constitution. One of those potential changes concerns whether to eliminate term limits.

Did you know that term limits don’t affect judges?

Members of the General Assembly and statewide elected officials cannot serve more than eight consecutive years in the same position. Judges, meanwhile, can serve as long as voters continue to elect them, with one exception.

Under the Constitution, in most cases, judges cannot serve after they turn 70 years old. Here’s what the Constitution says:

“No person shall be elected or appointed to any judicial office if on or before the day when he shall assume the office and enter upon the discharge of its duties he shall have attained the age of seventy years.”

And although the Constitution refers to “he,” many women serve as judges too. All judges serve six-year terms, while the statewide officials of the other branches of government and members of the Ohio Senate serve four-year terms. Members of the Ohio House of Representatives serve two-year terms.