County Court Judge Judkins speaks out against proposed court closure
Judge John Judkins.
As the sitting Judge of the Highland County Court, I am issuing this statement to express my strong opposition to any proposal to close the Highland County Court location in Greenfield.
Access to justice is a fundamental responsibility of local government. Closing the court in Greenfield would impose real and disproportionate burdens on the residents of Greenfield, Madison Township, and surrounding areas of Highland County. Many of these citizens already face significant economic challenges; nearly one-fifth of local residents live at or below the poverty line. Reliable transportation is a persistent difficulty for a substantial portion of the community.
Requiring residents to travel to Hillsboro for every court interaction creates unnecessary barriers. A simple matter such as a suspended driver’s license ticket would necessitate a 34-mile round trip. For individuals without dependable transportation, the result is predictable: missed court dates, warrants, and arrests. People would find themselves jailed not because of serious criminal conduct, but because they could not get to court. That outcome is neither just nor cost-effective for the county.
The Greenfield County Court also provides practical local access to essential services: the County Probation Department (where the assigned officer already carries the highest caseload in the department), community-service opportunities, Small Claims Court, civil debt-collection and garnishment actions, limited driving privileges, and eviction proceedings. Removing this local venue would make each of these matters more difficult and more expensive for the people who need them most.
From a fiscal perspective, the court is not a significant drain on county resources. Its total cost represents less than one percent of the county’s general-fund expenditures. Maintaining a local court that keeps justice accessible is a responsible and modest use of taxpayer dollars. Moreover, closure is unlikely to produce meaningful savings. The large majority of the court’s budget covers the two court clerks. If the County Court in Greenfield closed, the Municipal Court in Hillsboro would almost certainly need additional staff to absorb the increased caseload. The expense would simply shift from one court to another, while the human and administrative costs of reduced access would rise.
I will leave the Highland County Court bench in February 2027 upon assuming office as Judge of the Highland County Common Pleas Court, General Division. My opposition to closing the County Court in Greenfield is therefore not tied to any personal interest in remaining in the position. It is grounded in the duty to protect fair and practical access to the justice system for the citizens of Highland County, particularly those with the fewest resources.
I urge the Highland County Commissioners and our State Senator and Representative to reject any proposal that would eliminate this local court. The modest cost of maintaining it is far outweighed by the value of keeping the doors of justice open in Greenfield.