21 contend for federal judgeship in Valley

By David Skolnick

A former Ohio attorney general leads the 17-member panel reviewing the applicants for Economus’ post.

YOUNGSTOWN — A judicial advisory committee is expected to recommend a replacement for U.S. District Court Judge Peter C. Economus early next month.

The committee received 21 applications for the job, according to Meghan Dubyak, spokeswoman for U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown, a Democrat.

The committee will conduct interviews over the next few weeks, Dubyak said.

Brown and U.S. Sen. George V. Voinovich, a Republican, selected the 17 members of the judicial advisory committee. All of the committee members have law degrees.

Ex-Ohio Attorney General Nancy Rogers is the committee’s chairwoman.

Those appointed to the committee live in the state’s Southern District. Judge Economus’ seat is in the court’s Northern District.

That was done to avoid any appearance of a conflict of interest, Dubyak said.

One committee member with strong local ties is retired Judge Nathaniel Jones, who served on the 6th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals. He was born and reared in Youngstown and now lives in Cincinnati.

One of downtown Youngs- town’s two federal courthouses is named in his honor.

The senators’ offices won’t release the names of the applicants for the judicial job because the candidates were promised privacy, Dubyak said. The federal Freedom of Information Act doesn’t require the senators to reveal those names.

The senators will disclose the name of the candidate they recommend to President Barack Obama for the job. The candidate needs to be confirmed by the Senate.

The Vindicator has learned that the following are among the 21 applicants:

U Judge Gene Donofrio of the Youngstown-based 7th District Court of Appeals.

U Judge Cynthia Rice of the Warren-based 11th District Court of Appeals.

U Judge R. Scott Krichbaum of Mahoning County Common Pleas Court.

U Robert Shaker, who has a private practice in Niles and for the past 15 years has served as an acting judge.

U Martin Hume, an assistant Mahoning County prosecutor who has a private practice.

U\ Raymond Ku, a Case Western Reserve University School of Law professor and co-director of its Center for Law, Technology and the Arts.

Also, Charles Fleming, a Cleveland assistant federal public defender, had expressed interest in applying for the seat when Judge Economus announced his decision in March to retire from active service.

He couldn’t be reached Wednesday to confirm whether he applied for the $174,000-a-year judicial job.

Economus will move from an active judge to a senior judge, effective July 3.

Senior judges typically handle about 15 percent of an active judge’s annual caseload while earning the same annual salary, according to the U.S. Court’s Web site.

Judge Economus’ tentative plan is to retire in August 2010 and move to Columbus, said Suzanne Bertelli-Ray, his deputy clerk.

Judge Economus will earn $174,000 annually in retirement for life, Bertelli-Ray said.

Federal law permits a retired judge to earn his annual salary for life.

skolnick@vindy.com