Judge Teresa L. Ballinger was selected as Republican of the Month at the January meeting of the Marion County Republican Central and Executive Committee.
In December 2004 after 10 years in private practice, Judge Ballinger was appointed to the Marion County Municipal Court, and in November, 2005, she was elected to her first term as Judge of the Municipal Court. Nearing the end of her second term, she is running unopposed in November for her third term.
The Marion native, began her professional career as a case worker in 1979 at the Marion County Job and Family Services. In 1980, she accepted a position as a social worker for the Marion City Schools until fall of 1983. She taught social studies and special education at Pleasant High School from 1984 to 1995.
Her education includes graduating from Pleasant High School in 1974, and receiving a B.A. Degree in psychology/social work in 1979 from Ohio Dominican University, Columbus. In 1994, she earned a law degree and was admitted into the practice of law in Ohio. Her legal career began in private practice with Ted Coulter, Steve Phillips and Brent Yeager in Marion for 10 years.
The Judge’s professional activities includes: Trustee of the Association of Municipal and County Judges of Ohio; founding member of the Ohio Supreme Court’s Specialized Dockets Commission; Co-chairman of Ohio Judicial Conference Specialized Docket Committee; Ohio State Bar Association; Marion County Bar Association; Rotary International; Marion Noon Kiwanis; Junior Service Guild; Women’s Business Council and former member of Marion Matters, Inc. and Marion Bridges Steering Committee.
Since Judge Ballinger has sat on the Municipal Court Bench, she instituted a victim assistant program at the court; created a “driving-under-suspension” dockets to assist and guide individuals in acquiring a valid driver’s license, and implemented three specialized dockets to address mental health, substance abuse, and veteran offender issues.
Judge Ballinger is married to John Shank and the Marion couple has 5 children between them.
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