Judge Mary Jane Trapp, 1956-2025

It is with profound sadness that I share that Judge Mary Jane Trapp passed away unexpectedly on April 24, 2025. Judge Trapp had recently begun contributing to the blog. You can read her posts here and here

Her death is a tremendous loss to her friends, family, and the Ohio legal community. She leaves a legacy of service that few can match. It’s fitting that she had been selected to receive the Ohio State Bar Association’s John and Ginny Elam Pro Bono Award, which was awarded posthumously at the Association’s annual meeting earlier this month. You can watch the tribute to her here.

I last saw Judge Trapp the weekend before she passed. She spent the day judging The University of Akron School of Law’s 1L intramural moot court competition.