The Hon. Steven D. Christopher is a judge for the Probate and Juvenile Division of the Hardin County Court of Common Pleas in Ohio. He was appointed to the bench by former Governor John Kasich on March 7, 2013, filling a vacancy created by the retirement of the Hon. James Rapp.
Christopher was instrumental in the creation of three specialized dockets in his court. These include an adult treatment court, a juvenile drug treatment court, and a mental health court. He also presides over a court-run charter school, the Hardin Community School, which acts as a recovery school for youth who have been ejected from the public school system.
Prior to his appointment, Christopher presided as an acting judge for the Hardin County Municipal Court, a position he held since 2005.
Christopher earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Ohio Northern University in 1981. He then completed a J.D. at Ohio Northern University, Claude W. Pettit College of Law in 1984.
After graduating from law school, Christopher entered into private practice, working as an associate at law firms in Lima and Kenton before becoming a partner at Elliott and Christopher (later renamed the Christopher Law Office). He handled criminal defense cases as well as plaintiff’s personal injury, wrongful death, and product liability matters.
During this time, he was also an allied attorney for the Alliance Defense Fund, an associate attorney for the American Center for Law and Justice (1996 to 2004), and a referral attorney for the National Rifle Association (1998 to 2003). In 1992, he was defense counsel in State v. Christopher Vanwormer, an aggravated murder case that was one of the first ‘gay bashing’ cases to receive widespread media coverage.
His memberships have included the Ohio Juvenile Judges Association, the Ohio Probate Judges Association, and the Ohio Common Pleas Judges Association. He sat on the Board of Trustees of the North Central Ohio Regional Correctional & Rehabilitation Center, Blanchard Township, the Ohio Association for Justice, and the Ohio Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers.
A resident of Forest, Ohio, Christopher financed his education by working as a laborer for the Cooper Tire & Rubber Company. He attends New Hope Fellowship Church and has also been involved with the Hardin County Mounted Posse. He and his wife, Jill, have three adult children.