Mary Wiseman


Mary L. Wiseman is an American lawyer and judge from the state of Ohio. On October 22, 2007, Governor Ted Strickland appointed her to the Montgomery County Court of Common Pleas.

Early life and political career

Wiseman received her bachelor's degree from Ball State University and her law degree from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock School of Law. A Democrat, Wiseman was elected in 1998 to the Dayton City Commission, serving until 2002 when she declined to run for a second term. A lesbian, she was the first openly gay person elected to public office in Dayton.

State judicial service in Ohio

With her appointment to the bench, Wiseman became the first openly gay judge in the history of the state of Ohio.
During her first year on the bench, Wiseman presided over the high-profile trial of China Arnold, a mother found guilty of burning her month-old baby to death in a microwave oven. In a case that made headlines around the world, Wiseman sentenced Arnold to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Wiseman is admitted to the bar in Ohio, Arkansas, the United States District Court for the Southern District of Ohio, the United States District Court for the Northern District of Ohio, and the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, Sixth Circuit, Seventh Circuit, Eighth Circuit and Ninth Circuit, as well as the Supreme Court of the United States. She is a member of the and the American Bar Association.
Wiseman sought election to the post in 2008. She looked set to face a challenge in the Democratic primary from District Court judge James D. Piergies, but he withdrew in January 2008 following a controversy over allegedly homophobic comments he had made during the campaign. She faced Margaret M. Quinn, a Republican but ended up winning by 53% to 47%.

Consideration for federal judicial service

In 2009, Wiseman was shortlisted for a vacancy on the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio. Ohio's two U.S. Senators – Sherrod Brown and George Voinovich – convened a bipartisan commission to recommend candidates for the vacancy, with Wiseman emerging as one of three finalists. In July 2009, Brown and Voinovich recommended U.S. Magistrate Judge Timothy Black to Barack Obama for appointment to the seat.