(A) The judges of a municipal court and officers of the court shall take an oath of office as provided in section 3.23 of the Revised Code.

(B) The office of judge of a municipal court is subject to forfeiture, and the judge may be removed from office, for the causes and by the procedure provided in sections 3.07 to 3.10 of the Revised Code. A vacancy in the office of judge exists upon the death, resignation, forfeiture, removal from office, or absence from official duties for a period of six consecutive months, as determined under this section, of the judge and also by reason of the expiration of the term of an incumbent when no successor has been elected or qualified. A vacancy resulting from the absence of a judge from official duties for a period of six consecutive months shall be determined and declared by the legislative authority.

(C)

(1) If a vacancy occurs in the office of judge or clerk of the municipal court after the one-hundredth day before the first Tuesday after the first Monday in May and prior to the fortieth day before the day of the general election, all candidates for election to the unexpired term of the judge or clerk shall file nominating petitions with the board of elections not later than four p.m. on the tenth day following the day on which the vacancy occurs, except that, when the vacancy occurs fewer than six days before the fortieth day before the general election, the deadline for filing shall be four p.m. on the thirty-sixth day before the day of the general election.

(2) Each nominating petition referred to in division (C)(1) of this section shall be in the form prescribed in section 3513.261 of the Revised Code and shall be signed by at least fifty qualified electors of the territory of the municipal court. No nominating petition shall be accepted for filing or filed if it appears on its face to contain signatures aggregating in number more than twice the minimum aggregate number of signatures required by this section.

Amended by 130th General Assembly File No. TBD, HB 261, §1, eff. 7/10/2014.

Amended by 130th General Assembly File No. 3, SB 47, §1, eff. 6/21/2013.

Amended by 129th General AssemblyFile No.105, SB 295, §1, eff. 8/15/2012.

Amended by 129th General AssemblyFile No.40, HB 194, §3 Made subject to referendum in the Nov. 6, 2012 election. The version of this section thus amended was repealed by 129th General AssemblyFile No.105, SB 295, §1, eff. 8/15/2012

Amended by 128th General AssemblyFile No.29, HB 48, §1, eff. 7/2/2010.

Effective Date: 07-01-1997; 05-02-2006