Ronald Lewis

 2026 Strongsville GOP VIDEO - Candidate Presentation.  Judge Ron Lewis said he tries to "leave [his] personal opinions at the door," comparing his approach to Justice Scalia’s practice of writing decisions consistent with the law even when he personally disagrees and described his judicial philosophy as originalist, saying judges should follow the law "how it was written, what it meant when it was written," rather than rewriting it, and leave changes to the legislature.

State v. Clutter (2026). Authored. The court agreed with revoking Clutter’s community control and giving him a 12-month prison sentence. They found that his repeated violations—especially traveling out of state without permission, using drugs, and not reporting police contacts—showed he wasn’t participating in the program, so the usual 90-day limit for minor violations didn’t apply. Previously, the trial court had revoked community control and imposed the sentence, finding that Clutter had abandoned the objectives of community control for same reasons stated above.

State v. Little (2025). Authored. The court vacated the convictions of Little and ordered him released because his right to a speedy trial was violated. Little faced multiple cases for weapons and drug charges over several years. There were long delays between his arrest and trials, some caused by motions, some by the court, and some by a mistrial. The court found that the delays, especially for his last case, went beyond what is reasonable under the law, so his constitutional and statutory rights to a speedy trial were not protected. The court also confirmed that his no-contest plea was entered knowingly, meaning he understood that he was giving up his right to a jury trial.

State v. Hix (2025). Authored. This court held that the children should remain in the grandmother’s custody, with the mother allowed supervised visits. This Court agreed with the juvenile court that circumstances had changed since the last custody order (grandmother divorced) and that the mother could not provide a safe and stable home. The Court was concerned about the mother’s mental health and her boyfriend’s history of child abuse. This Court found that the juvenile court did not make a serious mistake and had enough evidence to support its decision, so it affirmed the juvenile court’s custody order.

In re A.J.W. (2024). Authored. The court of appeals decided that the grandparents could adopt the child without the father’s consent. Ohio law says a parent’s consent is not required if the parent has little contact with the child and does not provide support for at least one year, without a good reason. The court found the father had very little contact with the child and did not give financial support. The court found the father's excuses, like being in jail or not knowing where the child was, were supported by limited evidence. Because of this, the court agreed that the grandparents could adopt the child without the father’s permission.

In re M.J.S. (2022). Authored. The court decided that the trial court was correct to give legal custody of two children, M.J.S. and M.N., to their respective fathers instead of their mother. The mother had a history of violence, including stabbing the father of M.N., and had not completed her case plan objectives, such as securing stable housing, getting mental health treatment, and cooperating with the children services agency. The fathers had followed the case plans, provided stable homes, and were more likely to honor parenting time. The court found that the children were doing better in school, were safer, and had stronger bonds with their fathers. The Appeals Court concluded that placing the children with their fathers was in their best interest.