Weimer says judicial decisions should be grounded in law and integrity

Christine Weimer, the Democratic candidate for Common Pleas judge this November, believes that all judicial decisions should be grounded in the law and guided by integrity.

“Wearing that robe is an awesome responsibility, it really is,” said Weimer, who serves as a magistrate in New Philadelphia Municipal Court. “Every person that comes before you, no matter how minor the issue may be, it is very important to them. That's when we talk about procedural justice. We need to make sure that every person who comes before you, regardless of the type of case that it is, has that opportunity to be heard.”

Weimer, a Pennsylvania native who has lived in New Philadelphia since 1997, will be on the Nov. 3 general election ballot for judge. She will face Judge Ryan Styer, a Republican, who was appointed to the bench by Gov. Mike DeWine Feb. 4.

Both Weimer and Styer are vying to finish out the term of Judge Elizabeth Lehigh Thomakos, who retired Feb. 1 after 27 years on the bench.

For Weimer, this will be her first run for office. She said she views becoming a judge as the culmination of her career.

“I hear and adjudicate cases every single day. I hear civil cases, I hear criminal cases, I hear small claims. I hear initially about felony cases. So, it's just really the next stepping stone in my career,” she said.

Weimer added, “It gives you the opportunity to have a meaningful way to impact the community so that you can hold people accountable for the decisions and the choices that they make but you also want to try to change their behavior, change their decisions. A lot of that has to do with addiction. We have a tremendous addiction issue. I don't think it's just in our area,” she said.

A sermon at First United Methodist Church in New Philadelphia, where she attends, influenced her decision to run for judge.

“I was in church, and the pastor had said when Jesus opens a door for you, walk through it. The very next week is when the retirement (of Judge Thomakos) was announced, and they were seeking candidates for the position. I just felt so very strongly that that was the message for me. This is the door, you need to walk through it. You need to take this opportunity, and you need to give yourself that opportunity. You need to have faith in yourself,” she said.

Weimer said she always wanted to become a lawyer.

“I always knew from the time I was very young I either wanted to be a veterinarian or a lawyer. After participating in both activities in high school, thankfully I was able to go to my local veterinarian and work with him for a while and then go into the court system and just view and watch. I knew that law was my passion. I love being a lawyer. A lot of people will say, don't do it. I tell everybody to do it. I love the law. I love being a lawyer,” she said.

Weimer earned her law degree at Ohio Northern University in Ada. She met her husband, New Philadelphia native Ed Breehl, at law school. After graduation, they moved to his hometown, where Weimer went to work as an assistant prosecutor for then New Philadelphia Law Director Michael Johnson.

She became a New Philadelphia Municipal Court magistrate in 2012.

She and her husband have two adult children.