BJF’s programs facilitate the recruitment, vetting, training, and mentorship of progressive judicial candidates and offers education and networking opportunities, with the goal of molding a progressive judiciary appropriate for the 21st century. BJF programming is open to candidates and other reform-minded members of the bar, the bench, and the politico-legal community throughout Ohio.

BJF also seeks to increase diversity on Ohio’s bench to ensure that it more accurately reflects the communities the state court system represents, serves, and touches.

For questions and inquiries pertaining to the Buckeye Justice Forum, please reach out to Project Director Eddie Davenport at Eddie@leadohio.org.

Upcoming Program

speaker series: What's Next for Reproductive Rights in Ohio?

Attendees will hear from a panel of three reproductive health and abortion access experts with varying perspectives on how Ohio has been impacted by last year’s campaign to codify reproductive rights in Ohio’s constitution.

This discussion will:

• Review the campaign for Issue 1 and provide attendees with a clear picture of how its success has impacted (and will continue to impact) reproductive rights law and access to care in Ohio.

• Provide a comprehensive overview of the state of legislation in Ohio’s legislature, ongoing litigation in our state courts, and the lived experiences of providers, patients, and abortion access advocates on the ground before, during, and since the passage of Issue 1.

• Include an open question-and-answer period, during which our audience will be invited to engage in discussion about these issues with our expert speakers.

Our panel of experts:

• Jessie Hill, Professor, Case Western Reserve University School of Law

• Dr. Anita Somani, OB/GYN & Ohio House Representative, 11th District

• Jordyn Close, Deputy Director, Ohio Women's Alliance

The program is pending 1-hour CLE credit. Join us Tuesday, March 5, 12:00-1:15 pm via Zoom.