CUYAHOGA COUNTY, Ohio — After a distinguished 17 years on the Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court bench, former Cleveland Browns linebacker and Judge Dick Ambrose is hanging up his robe on December 31.
This will mark Ambrose’s third retirement from a storied career. Before he was appointed to the bench in June of 2004, Judge Ambrose spent 17 years as an attorney in private practice and before that, Ambrose spent ten years as a Cleveland Browns linebacker.
Although his final term in office has not yet expired, Judge Ambrose opted to retire on his own terms, something he says injuries did not allow him to do in the NFL.
"(This) was a great place to be, a great place to work, and great people here," Judge Ambrose said of his time serving the court. "It's been my pleasure and I certainly have enjoyed every moment of it.”
Judge Ambrose sat for an interview to discuss his time on the court, and his journey from the NFL to the law, which can be streamed here. The audio from the interview is also available from the court's “On The Record” podcast.
After his initial appointment to the bench, Judge Ambrose was elected in 2006, 2010, and 2016.
Judge Ambrose has been active in the community, assisting with programs such as Fugitive Safe Surrender, speaking to church and community groups about Ohio's record sealing law and the collateral consequences of criminal convictions.
Judge Ambrose is a member of the Cuyahoga County Corrections Planning Board, and the Judicial Advisory Board for the McDonnell Center, which is a community-based corrections facility. He also served as the chair of the court's Probation Committee.
One of Judge Ambrose's more high-profile cases included presiding over the trial of serial killer Anthony Sowell in 2011, who was convicted of killing 11 women and hiding their remains in and around his home. (Sowell died in February from a terminal illness, while sitting on Death Row.)
Administrative and Presiding Judge Brendan J. Sheehan praised his colleague, saying: “I can’t say enough about the work Dick Ambrose has done as a judge. Not only was he a mentor to me when I became a judge, but he has been a valued friend and colleague. He may have been a Cleveland Brown, but Dick Ambrose did his best work in serving the citizens of Cuyahoga County.”
Mark R. Majer, of Gates Mills, has been appointed by Governor Mike DeWine to take over for Judge Ambrose, and will take his seat at the bench on Jan. 3, 2022.
Majer has served as magistrate at the Cuyahoga County Juvenile Court since 2020 and served previously in this role from 1999-2005. Additionally, he was chief legal counsel for the Cuyahoga County Juvenile Court for five years. He also worked as prosecutor for the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s Office for six years.
