Matthew Byrne is the Republican candidate for Judge of Ohio’s Twelfth District Court of Appeals.
Conservative, constitutional originalist and textualist. “As a judge, my role would be limited. I believe that judges should apply the Constitution and other laws as they were written, and judges should remember that their role is to say what the law already is—not to ‘legislate from the bench.’ My judicial role models are former Justice Antonin Scalia and Justice Clarence Thomas.”
Conservative actions, not just campaign promises. “My commitment to the Constitution is not just a campaign promise. During my entire legal career I have been a member of the Federalist Society—the national organization of conservative lawyers, which has been heavily criticized by the left for its role in advising President Trump on judicial nominations. In fact, I was the president of the Federalist Society’s Cincinnati Lawyers Chapter from 2014 to 2019. I have worked to advance conservative, constitutionalist ideas about the law by providing programming for attorneys, judges, and the public for years. I worked with other Federalist Society leaders to start a statewide conference in Ohio, as we need more focus on these issues in our state. President Trump’s U.S. Solicitor General spoke to the conference last year. “
Experienced lawyer. “I am an experienced lawyer who litigates cases in state and federal courts at both the trial and appeals court levels, in Ohio and elsewhere. I have handled appeals in multiple courts of appeals. I am an attorney at a national law firm with over 900 lawyers. I regularly represent clients in wage and hour class actions, discrimination cases, non-compete cases between businesses, and more. I have been selected for inclusion in the Super Lawyers “Rising Stars” lists for Ohio every year from 2012 through 2020. This list is limited to 2.5% of lawyers in Ohio. Prior to law school I worked in President George W. Bush’s White House and clerked for the Acting General Counsel of the United States Department of the Treasury.”
Conservative involved in church and community. “I am a member of the Advisory Board at a pro-life pregnancy resource center. I am active at my church, where I chaired the Education Commission advising the leadership of our church’s school. I am a member of several bar associations, the American Enterprise Institute (a pro-free enterprise think tank)’s Leadership Network, and I have informally advised several conservative organizations over the years. I was previously an elected member of the Warren County Republican Party’s Central and Executive Committees.”
Academic excellence. “I earned my law degree from The Ohio State University, a top-tier law school, and graduated cum laude. I served as symposium editor of the prestigious Ohio State Law Journal, and I scored in the top 98% of test takers on the written portion of the Ohio bar exam in the year I took the exam.”
Second Amendment supporter. “I am a gun owner, and I have my concealed carry license. Just like every other provision in the Constitution, I support the Second Amendment, which provides for an individual right to keep and bear arms. The Second Amendment is a critical protection for our liberties.”
Committed to family. “Most importantly, I have been married to Julie Byrne (who is Vice Chairman of the Warren County Republican Party) for over 12 years, and we are the parents of three wonderful children.”
Paid for by the Matthew Byrne for Court of Appeals Committee.