Black judge wants to see more diversity on bench in his county
— When David Hamilton was elected to a seat on Akron Municipal Court in November, he became the court’s first African-American male judge in 30 years.
And Hamilton is one of only two African-American judges in Summit County, joined by Judge Annalisa Williams, who also serves on Akron Municipal Court.
“I have a sense of pride that the electorate chose me to be the judge, but I also feel like I have big shoes to fill, since there haven’t been many African-American judges, period,” Hamilton told cleveland.com.
Cleveland.com spoke with Hamilton about his career and experience. In light of
February being Black History Month, here is everything you should know about him.
Is this Hamilton’s first elected office?
No. For three years, Hamilton represented District 5 on Summit County Council. He was the only African-American candidate to win countywide office in 2016, and became the youngest member of County Council.
Now 35, he is the municipal court’s youngest judge.
“I’m kind of used to it by now, I guess,” he said of being a voice for under-represented groups.
What’s his background?
Born and raised in Akron, Hamilton studied sociology, criminal justice and criminology at the University of Akron before getting his law degree from Western Michigan University’s Thomas M. Cooley School of Law.
He worked as a prosecutor and judicial attorney in Akron Municipal Court before being elected to County Council. He stepped down in December after being elected to the bench for a four-year term, effective through 2023.
How did he become interested in the law?
Hamilton said his journey to a legal career began when he was 10 years old.
“It started with watching my brother get arrested and go to prison when I was younger,” he said. “I was a kid when I saw it, and I used to watch old reruns of ‘Ben Matlock,’ and I thought that if I could be him, I could get my brother out of prison.
“When you’re a kid, you have no respect of time, so I didn’t understand that I actually had to go to high school and law school and all these things. I just wanted to be Ben Matlock to get my brother out of prison.”
Why did he want to become a judge?
The main reason Hamilton
decided to leave his County Council seat and run for a seat on Akron Municipal Court was because of racial and gender disparities between judges and the defendants who come before them.
“I believe we need more diversity on our bench,” he said. “Black males in Summit County only make up 7% of the population here, but they make up over 40% of the population in the Summit County Jail. And out of 35 judges in our entire county, there hasn’t been a judge on the bench that looked like them in almost two decades.”
Who was the previous African-American male judge?
Judge James R. Williams,
was elected to serve on the municipal court in 1983 and to Summit County Court of Common Pleas in 1989. Williams served as a common pleas judge until 2004.
Akron Municipal Court Judge Annalisa Williams is his daughter.
What are Hamilton’s goals as a judge?
Hamilton hopes to start a diversion program aimed at offering minority males a way of avoiding criminal records that would impair their ability to find jobs. The program would include “wraparound, tailored services,” including counseling.
He also wants to start a program that focuses on combating the opioid epidemic.