96-06-13 Judge Jackson Receive Public Policy Award

JACKSON HONORED WITH STATE AND LOCAL SERVICE AWARD

     COLUMBUS -- Janet E. Jackson, judge of the Franklin County 
Municipal Court, was honored June 6 with the State and Local 
Service Award by the School of Public Policy and Management at 
The Ohio State University.

     Jackson was honored for her service in government and the 
local community during ceremonies at the school's pre-
commencement program, which recognized students receiving the 
Master of Arts, Master of Public Administration and Doctor of 
Philosophy degrees.  Jackson gave the keynote address to the 
graduates.

     Jackson was appointed to the bench in 1987, becoming the 
first African American woman to serve as a judge in the county.  
She was elected later that year and re-elected in 1993.  From 
April to December 1992, she served as administrative and 
presiding judge of the court.

     Jackson earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in history in 
1975 from Wittenberg University and her law degree in 1978 from 
the National Law Center at George Washington University.

     She then went to work as an assistant attorney general for 
the State of Ohio, where, except for a one-year stint in private 
practice, she served until her appointment as judge.  During more 
than seven years with the attorney general's office, Jackson 
served as a staff attorney in the Civil Rights Section and later 
as chief of the Crime Victim Compensation, Civil Rights, and 
Workers' Compensation sections.

     She has a vast background of experience in professional, 
public and community service.  Jackson serves as a member of the 
Board of Governors of the Women in the Profession Section of the 
Ohio State Bar Association and as a member of the Commission on 
Racial and Ethnic Fairness of the Ohio State Bar Association and 
Ohio Supreme Court.  She also is a member of the board of 
trustees of Wittenberg and Franklin universities, the United Way 
of Franklin County, and the Metropolitan Human Services 
Commission, and is a member of the board of directors of 
Grant/Riverside Methodist Hospitals.

     The judge is a member of the Action for Children Board of 
Trustees and visits numerous schools to share her experiences 
with children of all ages and backgrounds.  Jackson's strong 
interest in the future of children resulted in her chairing the 
City of Columbus Task Force on Child Care and the Right From the 
Start Community Forum.

     Jackson has received many honors and awards for her work in 
the community.  Those recognitions include the Dr. Martin Luther 
King Jr. Humanitarian Award from the Columbus Education 
Association, the 1992 Women of Achievement Award from the YWCA, 
and The John Mercer Langston Award from the National Conference 
of Black Lawyers and Robert B. Elliott Law Club.  The judge is a 
member of the National, American, Ohio State, and Columbus bar 
associations; the National Conference of Black Lawyers; the 
Robert B. Elliott Law Club; and the Women Lawyers of Franklin 
County.
                             #

Contact:  C. Ronald Huff, director, School of Public Policy and 
Management, (614) 292-4544.


[Submitted by: Von Reid-Vargas (ereid@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu)
               
Thu, 13 Jun 1996 08:55:47 -0400]
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