Magistrates
Magistrates are non-elected judicial officers. They are appointed by the Judges of the Court. Magistrates conduct proceedings just as a judge would, but certain decisions of the magistrate are not final or effective until they are reviewed and adopted by a judge.
Magistrates issue orders and decisions. A magistrate's order is effective immediately. If a party wants the judge to review the order to have it changed, then the party must file a request to that effect. However, the order will still remain in effect while the request is pending unless the judge or magistrate issues a stay. An order is usually issued for matters that are not dispositive of the entire case. Orders to continue a case, pretrial orders, orders regarding discovery, etc. are examples of orders issued by magistrates that take immediate effect.
A decision is issued when substantive issues are being addressed, or when the decision, if affirmed, would result in a final disposition of the case. A magistrate would issue a decision when deciding the motion of a party for summary judgment, or for judgment on the pleadings, for example. Similarly, a magistrate would issue a decision after hearing a contested trial.
Our magistrates serve all six Akron Municipal Court judges and preside over small claims, civil, traffic and criminal matters.
Tamara Todd
Magistrate Todd received her Bachelor's of Arts from Kent State University, summa cum laude and her Juris Doctorate from The University of Akron School of Law.
Magistrate Todd is a former CMHA Hearing Officer, Assistant Akron City Prosecutor, Assistant Summit County Prosecutor and court-wide Magistrate for the Akron Municipal Court.
Magistrate Todd is a member of the Akron Bar Association, Akron-Canton Barristers Association and the Ohio Association of Magistrates.
Magistrate Todd lives in Akron with her husband and three children.
Thomas D. Bown
Magistrate Thomas D. Bown received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Miami University of Ohio in 2000 and his Juris Doctor in 2004 from The University of Akron School of Law. Prior to becoming a magistrate he worked as a judicial assistant for Judge Shapiro in Summit County Common Pleas Court, a Summit County assistant prosecutor, in private practice handling criminal defense and appeals, and as an Akron City assistant prosecutor and Police Legal Advisor.
Magistrate Bown is admitted to practice in Ohio, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio and the United States Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals.
Magistrate Bown helps run the high school Mock Trial competition through the Akron Bar Association. He resides with his wife, son and daughter in West Akron.
Scott Newman
Magistrate Scott A. Newman received his Bachelor of Arts degrees from Rice University in 2010 and his Juris Doctor from the University of Akron School of Law in 2013. Prior to working at Akron Municipal Court, he served as Judicial Attorney, Mediation Magistrate, and Trial Magistrate for the Medina County Domestic Relations Court. Magistrate Newman also worked in private practice primarily handling domestic relations cases.
Magistrate Newman and his wife live in West Akron with their sons and dog.
R. Joseph Mittica
Magistrate Joseph Mittica earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio in 2012 and his Juris Doctor from Cleveland State University’s Cleveland-Marshall College of Law in 2015.
Prior to joining the Akron Municipal Court in 2024, Magistrate Mittica served the Summit County Prosecutor’s Office for eight years.
Magistrate Mittica and his family reside in Copley Township.
Lisa Bradley
Magistrate Lisa Bradley received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science and History from Ohio Northern University in 2013. She received her Juris Doctorate from Ohio Northern University in 2016.
Prior to becoming a magistrate, Lisa worked at the Allen County Prosecutor’s Office in the Civil Division in Lima, Ohio. After that she worked at the Lima Prosecutor’s Office. She also taught the Mock Trial Course at Ohio Northern University for several years, including while she was still in law school and after graduation while she practiced in Lima, Ohio. Magistrate Bradley then moved closer to family and joined the City of Akron Prosecutor’s Office as both an Assistant Prosecutor and a Police Legal Advisor.
In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with friends and family, attending Cleveland Guardians games, reading and going on hikes with her boyfriend and their dogs.