Login | May 13, 2025
Two Akron muni judges honored community contributions
SHERRY KARABIN
Legal News Reporter
Published: May 10, 2024
Two Akron Municipal Court judges recently received accolades for their leadership roles and contributions to the Summit County community.
In February, Judge Ron Cable and Judge David Hamilton were recognized by national organizations for their civic involvement and dedication to creating and expanding programming at the court that assists individuals involved in the criminal justice system in overcoming mental illness, substance use and other trauma so they can break the cycle of recidivism and lead productive lives.
Judge Cable was presented with a plaque marking a “Lifetime Award for Service” on Feb. 24 during a Black History Month luncheon held by the Northeast Ohio Volunteers of America and the national NAACP at the Barberton Public Library.
The event paid tribute to the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. and featured presenters and speakers like Barberton NAACP President Kevin Hill and national NAACP Board Member Ophelia Averitt, who presented him with the award.
In a press release, Averitt described Judge Cable as someone who “goes above and beyond to serve men and women in Akron,” adding that he “embodies equality and inclusion,” and that the programs he runs provide “access to justice for all.”
“I was very honored to receive this award,” said Judge Cable. “The news came as a complete surprise when I got the call informing me of my selection.”
Judge Hamilton was recognized on Feb. 27 during the National Sales & Marketing Executives’ (NSME) 52nd annual Accent on Excellence awards event, which took place at Guy’s Party Center in Akron.
More than 25 professionals in the Akron/Canton region were honored at the ceremony. Judge Hamilton received an Achievement in Excellence Award. Criteria for the accolade include community and civic involvement, professional experience and demonstrated performance.
In a press release, NSME Akron/Canton Executive Director Sharon Reed stated, “The selection committee was impressed with Judge Hamilton’s passion for serving the community.
“His journey is inspiring and I look forward to seeing his continued success.”
“I was pleasantly surprised by the award,” said Judge Hamilton. “Anytime you are recognized by people in the community for the work you’ve done, it is definitely an honor.”
For Judge Hamilton, who served as administrative/presiding judge in 2023, the accolade is one of several he’s received since taking the bench in December 2019.
Last year he was presented with the Akron Bar Association Diversity Award and the Judge Harold K. Stubbs Humanitarian Award in Law. He is also a 2020 Greater Akron Chamber “30 for the Future” award recipient.
A native of Summit County, Judge Hamilton graduated from The University of Akron, where he majored in sociology and minored in criminal justice technology and received his juris doctor from Western Michigan University Cooley Law School.
He initially served as NAACP legal chair for the Akron chapter of the organization under past president Ophelia Averitt, advising inmates on their civil rights, later becoming a field organizer in Akron and Cuyahoga Falls for Organizing for America, where he worked for former President Barack Obama’s re-election campaign.
From Jan. 2013 to Jan. 2016, he was an assistant prosecutor for the city of Akron.
In May 2016, Judge Hamilton became a volunteer CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocate) and a court-appointed attorney guardian ad litem for the Summit County Probate and Juvenile courts. He also started working as an associate at Littlejohn Law, where he focused on real estate, estate planning and domestic relations matters.
From Jan. 2017 to Dec. 2019, Judge Hamilton served as Summit County Council District 5 representative. As chair of the council’s Public Safety Committee, he started and spearheaded the Summit County Jail Advisory Commission in 2017.
During his time as a county councilman, he served as a judicial attorney to Judge Cable.
He also founded MY-STARS summer youth enrichment camp while on county council for rising sixth- to eighth-grade students, who learn “real world” skills like financial literacy, public speaking and entrepreneurship.
Now in his second term, Judge Hamilton started the diversionary program COMPASS (Compassion, Opportunity, Mentoring, Purpose, Achievement, Success, Stepping forward) and Raising the Bar.
Unveiled on Nov. 2, 2020, COMPASS provides an alternative to jail for men between the ages of 18 and 40 under the jurisdiction of the Akron Municipal Court who’ve recently become involved in the criminal justice system.
Raising the Bar kicked off in October 2022 as a pilot program designed to expose minority high school students to the legal profession and the many different career opportunities within it, while also providing opportunities that promote critical thinking and deductive reasoning skills.
A graduate of the 2023 class of Leadership Ohio and Leadership Akron Class 34, Judge Hamilton currently serves on the boards of the Akron Zoo and ArtsNow and is a member of The University of Akron’s Buchtel College of Arts and Sciences Alumni Advisory Council.
“My focus moving forward is on expanding both COMPASS and Raising the Bar,” said Judge Hamilton.
“I want every high school student in Summit County who has the slightest curiosity about the practice of law or the legal profession to be involved in Raising the Bar,” said Judge Hamilton.
“I would eventually like to expand Raising the Bar to first-year college students. I am excited that COMPASS is now a diversionary court and I am looking to increase our steady numbers and graduate more men from the program.”
Judge Cable took the Akron Municipal Court bench in December 2017 and served as administrative/presiding judge in 2021 and 2022.
A native of the Ohio Valley, Judge Cable moved to Akron in 1992 to attend The University of Akron, where he received a bachelor’s degree in political science and earned his juris doctor in 2000.
He began his legal career as a judicial attorney at Summit County Domestic Relations Court, serving under Judge Judith Nicely until she retired, and then working for Judge Carol Dezso, who appointed him as a part-time magistrate.
He became a full-time magistrate in 2005 and went on to serve as chief magistrate.
Prior to taking the Akron Municipal Court bench, Judge Cable was a Summit County Juvenile Court magistrate.
He currently presides over the certified specialized dockets Family Intervention Court and RISE (Restore Individual Self-Empowerment), which he started in 2018 to assist adult victims of human trafficking, sexual exploitation and prostitution.
Initially a court-sponsored program, RISE became a certified specialized docket in 2020. The following year, it received the Ohio State Bar Association’s Innovative Court Programs and Practices Award.
Judge Cable also presides over the Connect Program, which he unveiled in 2021 to serve developmentally disabled individuals, who are getting or are eligible to receive services from a Developmental Disabilities Board.
“Connect is near and dear to my heart as I have a son with autism,” said Judge Cable.
In addition, Judge Cable and Akron Municipal Court Judge Nicole Walker worked to start a new housing program, which began last fall.
Designed to promote workable solutions between landlords and tenants, the program provides referrals to both parties, including financial and housing relocation resources, while assisting them in understanding the mediation process and the benefits of utilizing it to resolve their matters.
The program also helps indigent homeowners who have been cited by the city for failure to maintain utilities and make repairs.
“We are already seeing positive results in our housing program and I believe that this program will benefit both landlords and tenants in our community for years to come,” said Judge Cable.
A longtime member of the Akron and Ohio State bar associations and an Akron Bar Foundation fellow, Judge Cable is currently a member of the Akron Bar’s Access to Justice Committee.
He’s also a member of the Association of Municipal/County Judges of Ohio and the American Judges Association and is a former member of the Ohio Association of Magistrates, which presented him with a judicial award in 2018.
His other accolades include the Judge Harold K. Stubbs Humanitarian Award in the field of law in 2016 and a Kitty Burgett Celebration of Life award, which he received in 2020 from The Final Farewell Project.
Outside of the legal profession, Judge Cable serves on the board of Community Action Akron Summit and is an emeritus board member of the Autism Society of Greater Akron.
“I enjoy serving as a municipal court judge and plan to run for another term in 2025 so that I can continue to build on the programs that I’ve started,” said Judge Cable.
“Judges in other jurisdictions have often expressed interest in starting similar programs and I’m happy to assist them in doing so. I’m always pleased to be a mentor court for other communities.”