Bexley lawyer appointed judge

Ohio Gov. Mike Dewine has appointed Frederick D. Nelson to fill the seat on the 10th District Court of Appeals in Columbus left vacant by the resignation of the embattled Judge Timothy S. Horton.

Nelson, a Bexley resident who had served as major litigation director in the attorney general's office under Dewine since 2011, will take the bench beginning Monday. He will serve the remainder of Horton's unexpired term ending Feb. 28, 2021.

The 10th District Court of Appeals handles the review of lower-court decisions in Franklin County and also hears many actions involving state government because its jurisdiction includes the state capital.

Horton, facing a proposed indefinite suspension of his law license for judicial misconduct, resigned from the bench at the end of February but did not surrender his law license

The Board of Professional Conduct recommended to the Ohio Supreme Court on Dec. 7 that Horton receive an indefinite suspension after finding he sexually harassed a secretary-turnedbailiff, had a sexual encounter with a former intern and used county employees to perform campaign work on county time when he served as a Franklin County Common Pleas Court judge in 2013-2014.

The justices will hear arguments in Horton's disciplinary case May 7.

Nelson, a Harvard Law School graduate, was a Hamilton County Common Pleas Court judge from 2003 to 2009. He also served as associate White House counsel to President George H.W. Bush and held other positions in the U.S. Department of Justice and U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee.

Nelson, a Republican, ran for Franklin County Common Pleas Court judge in 2014, losing to Democrat David Young.

He also once served as chief of staff and legal counsel to U.S. Rep. Steve Chabot, R-cincinnati.