Judge Kimberly A. Melnick is one of two new judges welcomed by the Montgomery County Common Pleas Court, General Division, as she took her oath of office on April 8th. One day earlier, Judge Robert G. Hanseman also joined the court. Both were appointed in March by Governor Mike DeWine to fill vacant positions on the court left by retired judges. They assumed their duties on April 11th.
Judge Melnick was sworn into office in a ceremony at the Montgomery County Courts Building that was attended by family, friends, elected officials, and other Montgomery County judges. Judge Denise L. Cross, presiding judge of the Montgomery County Common Pleas Court, presided over the ceremony.
Judge Melnick becomes the 52nd judge to serve on the Montgomery County Common Pleas Court, General Division, as she fills the seat of Hon. Michael W. Krumholtz who retired on February 28, 2022.
Attorney Matthew T. Jewson delivered the oath of office followed by remarks by Judge Melnick. The ceremony also included remarks by Justice Patrick F. Fischer of the Ohio Supreme Court and an invocation by Christopher Fischer of the Greene County Sheriff’s Office.
Prior to her appointment, Judge Melnick spent the majority of her 28-year legal career prosecuting criminal cases in Ohio and Colorado. Judge Melnick spent the past 15 years in the Montgomery County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office where she served in various positions, including as Supervising Attorney of the Grand Jury, Supervising Attorney for the Adult Protection Unit, and as a Trial Supervisor. Most recently, she served as a member of the Violent Crimes Bureau, where she exclusively prosecuted homicide cases. Judge Melnick received her B.A. from Wright State University in marketing and her J.D. from the University of Dayton.
Judge Melnick is a member of the Dayton Bar Association and the Carl D. Kessler Inn of Court.