JUDGE TODD MCKENNEY
Award Winning Judge. Committed to Our Community.
Judge Todd McKenney serves as a Judge of the Summit County Court of Common Pleas and is running for re-election. Judge McKenney is an experienced and award-winning Judge who is committed to serving our community. He has served as Judge at both Common Pleas and Municipal Court handling thousands of cases including jury trials for robbery, rape and murder. Judge McKenney’s judicial and legal experience, impartiality and commitment to upholding the law are significant qualities in safeguarding our community.
Award Winning Judge
While serving as Probate Judge, Judge McKenney founded the Summit County Good Deeds Project which identified and educated thousands of Summit County residents about making simple updates on their deeds to avoid the time and expense of probate. For these efforts, Judge McKenney received the 2013 Liberty Bell Award from the Akron Bar Association for “promoting a better understanding of the rule of law, encouraging a greater respect for the law and the courts, stimulating a sense of civic responsibility and contributing to good government in the community.”
Working in the Courts and Public Service
In addition to his judicial experience in the county and municipal courts, Judge McKenney also has significant federal court experience. JudgeMcKenney served as Judicial Law Clerk to U.S. District Court Judge David D. Dowd, Jr. He has also chaired the Federal Courts Committee of the Akron Bar Association and served on the Advisory Panel for the Northern District of Ohio. Additional public service included membership in the Ohio General Assembly and in the New Franklin City Council At Large.
Over 25 Years of Legal Experience
Judge McKenney is a 1989 Graduate of The Ohio State University College of Law. While at Ohio State, he received the Dean’s Special Award for service to the College of Law as the Chief Justice of the student Honor Council charged with enforcing ethics codes.
Judge McKenney has extensive legal experience in both the public and private sector and over the course of a 25+ year legal career has served in small and larger firms: namely, McKenney & Gingrich; Leiby, Hanna, Rasnick, Towne, Evanchan, Palmisano and Hobson; and Black and McCusky, Souers and Arbaugh.
Judge McKenney has extensive legal experience in both the public and private sector and over the course of a 25+ year legal career has served in small and larger firms: namely, McKenney & Gingrich; Leiby, Hanna, Rasnick, Towne, Evanchan, Palmisano and Hobson; and Black and McCusky, Souers and Arbaugh.
Pastoral Service
In addition to his legal experience, Judge McKenney is also a licensed, ordained Pastor. While serving at The Chapel (1994-2007), he was named Mercy & Justice Pastor. By combining legal and religious training, Judge McKenney was able to help people in financial need and with mediation/arbitration, racial reconciliation, disabilities ministries and teaching.
Committed to Our Community
Judge McKenney‘s integrity is evident as he serves our community on the board of Faithful Servants Care Center which provides free medical care to those in need, Mission USA Disaster Relief. He has also served on the boards of the Akron Area YMCA, Friends of Summit Metro Parks, the International Institute, Love Akron, The Chapel in Akron and Green, as a Trustee of the Akron Bar Association, and YEPAW for African-American teen leadership in which he and his wife Bethany, sponsor the Noah Award, an annual scholarship awarded to a deserving student in honor of their son Noah who lost his life to cancer.
Judge McKenney is a member of NAMI (the National Alliance on Mental Illness, Summit County), the Akron Bar Association, the Ohio State Bar Association, the Ohio Judicial Conference and served for many years as a pro bono volunteer for Community Legal Aid.
Award Winning Efforts
In 2013, Judge McKenney was the co-winner with Pastor Charles Myricks of the Dr. Ronald Fowler-Pastor Knute Larson Allies Award for racial reconciliation efforts from Love Akron.
For seven years with his wife Bethany, Judge McKenney operated the “The Goosetown Inn,” a free bed and breakfast for newly arriving International students at the University of Akron. In 2005, Judge McKenney received the Outstanding Service Award from the Office of Student Affairs at the University of Akron for hosting over 250 students from more than 42 countries.
Judge McKenney received the 2014 Alumni Achievement Award from the Manchester Alumni Association and in 1992 was named to the Manchester Swede Olson/James France Athletic Hall of Fame.
Growing Up and Family
A lifelong Summit County resident, Judge McKenney graduated from Manchester High School and also grew up working at the family owned North Hill Pharmacy and Gift Shop. Graduating from Hiram College, Magna Cum Laude, he received the Outstanding Hiram Man Award and was Captain and MVP of the track team.
Judge McKenney is married to Bethany who is the District Nurse for Manchester Local Schools where their children attend: Nathan, 14, and Selah, 15. They reside in the city of New Franklin and are active church members at The Chapel in Akron and Green.
Judge McKenney is married to Bethany who is the District Nurse for Manchester Local Schools where their children attend: Nathan, 14, and Selah, 15. They reside in the city of New Franklin and are active church members at The Chapel in Akron and Green.