Federal judges are drawn from the ranks of experienced lawyers with diverse personal and professional backgrounds. They bring to the bench their professional training and experience, personal history, and lived experiences. As a result of these experiences, they form certain beliefs and sympathies and develop certain preferences and biases.

Two closely related words that animated the call for independence from Great Britian were liberty and freedom.  Those two words called not only for independence from the then-governing power but also for individual liberty and freedom for the colonists.  And by that, they meant the liberty and freedom to live their lives without undue government intrusion or interference. 

The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio presided over a naturalization ceremony on Sept. 18, 2025, where 20 people from 14 countries became United States citizens.

United States District Court Judge Michael J. Newman presided over the ceremony while Montgomery County Common Pleas Court Judge Elizabeth A.  Ellis, and retired Ohio Second District Court of Appeals Judge Mary E. Donovan also attended and spoke. 

Each September 17, our nation pauses to recognize Constitution Day, commemorating the signing of the United States Constitution in 1787.  It is a day not just for lawyers, judges, or politicians–it is a day for all citizens.  The beginning of the Constitution affirms this.  The first three words of the Constitution read, “We the People.”  Those three words are not ceremonial, nor put there as mere place holders.  They are at the very heart of the representative republic established by the Con