THE HONORABLE JUDGE JOSEPH J. HOWE
Judge Joseph J. Howe was elected in November, 2017 to serve as Judge for the Toledo Housing and Environmental Court. Judge Howe graduated Cum Laude from the University of Toledo Law School in 1997, where he was a member of the University of Toledo Law Review and a Law Merit Scholar. He was also awarded the Order of the Coif.
He was the Housing Court Prosecutor for over eleven years prior to the 2017 election. He was the recipient of the 2011 University of Toledo, College of Law Outstanding Public Service Supervisor Award. Prior to 2006, Judge Howe worked as a private attorney and spent several years as a staff attorney for the UAW Legal Services Plan in Toledo, Ohio and Clearwater, Florida, handling mostly civil consumer protection cases.
In July 1997, Judge Howe was first a Law Clerk, then quickly becoming a Judicial Staff Attorney in 1998, for the Lucas County Common Pleas Court. While still in law school, he was an Editorial Assistant for Dean Quick, UT Law, working on the Criminal Procedure Casebook for West Publishing.
Judge Joseph J. Howe was born in Napoleon, Ohio, but has resided in Toledo for over 20 years. He, his wife Jenny, and their three small children live in south Toledo. In his spare time, Judge Howe is an avid runner and has participated in numerous marathons. He was the Event Coordinator and Race Organizer for the Capital Campaign Annual 5K Fundraiser. He is also an active member of Jammin' for Justice, playing drums at annual fundraisers benefiting the Neil Light Scholarship Fund and Legal Aid.
He will use knowledge garnered from over a decade of prosecuting housing court violators to ensure the Toledo Municipal Housing Court is contributing to a better life for the City's neighborhoods. He has first-hand experience working with Law Enforcement, Block Watch Groups and City Administrations in dealing with Housing Court issues. He shares the concerns of Toledo's citizens in their worry of blight in their neighborhoods. He understands the impact and the effect it has on crime.
