On July 11, 2018, Judge John Nalbandian stepped down from the SJI Board of Directors, after serving since 2010.  He was confirmed by the Senate as a Circuit Judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit on May 15^th and assumed office on May 25^th.   Judge Nalbandian previously was a partner in the Litigation Department of Taft Stettinius & Hollister LLP, where he concentrated on appellate and complex litigation in state and federal courts and was a member of the firm’s Appellate Practice group.  He represented clients in a wide range of areas including antitrust, class actions, products liability, intellectual property, and white-collar crime.  He also served on the Ohio State Bar Association’s Appellate Practice Specialty Board; was a member of the Greater Cincinnati Minority Counsel Program’s Board of Directors; and was a Life Member of the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals and served on the Life Member Committee.  He served as a Board member of the Telecommunications Board of Northern Kentucky and the Northern Kentucky Tri-Ed Board of Directors, and had been recognized annually since 2007 by The Best Lawyers in America for his work in Appellate Law.

During his time on the SJI Board of Directors, Judge Nalbandian was a strong advocate for the state courts – consistently seeking to improve the administration of justice in state courts and enhance access to justice.  He took special interest in promoting the work of national state court associations and organizations, including the National Association for Court Management (NACM).  Judge Nalbandian viewed these associations and organizations as critical to the wide dissemination of best practices and promotion of SJI’s Priority Investment Areas.  He also served on the SJI Board Executive Committee as Treasurer, and the Board’s Education Support Program Committee.