Linda Webber becomes first woman to serve as Lorain Muni judge

LORAIN — Linda Webber made history Friday when she was sworn in to her new post, becoming the first woman ever elected to serve as Lorain Municipal judge. The support for Webber was clear, as the courtroom where she was sworn in at Lorain Municipal Court was filled to capacity, with friends, family and colleagues standing in the entryway and aisle as well as filling every seat. Webber was met with deafening applause when she entered the courtroom. "I have worked hard to earn this position, and I plan to continue to work hard to serve the community," Webber said in her speech after being sworn in. "I am committed to ensuring that the individuals who appear here before me will be treated with dignity and respect, and that they will receive a fair and impartial process under the law. I consider this a privilege and an honor to get to serve as a Lorain Municipal Court Judge." Webber ran unopposed in the November election to replace retiring Municipal Judge Mark Mihok, after she won nearly 50 percent of the vote in a three-way Democratic primary in May. Already a familiar face in Lorain Municipal Court, Webber has served as a magistrate, and before that she worked in the law departments of North Ridgeville and Lorain. She thanked the retiring Mihok for appointing her to her first judicial experience when she was tapped to serve as his acting judge. He later appointed her as magistrate as well. "When you are a judge, I will just tell you, when you are up there, you are alone," Mihok said at the ceremony, addressing Webber. "The decisions you make, the effect you have on people, it is all on you and it can be scary. There is nowhere to hide. You are not psychic, you cannot tell the future. You just hope something bad doesn't happen, so use your best judgment, I know you have it. I have known (Webber) for many years, and she will probably be an upgrade to what you have now." Acknowledging the impact that other pioneering women had on her historic election, Webber took a moment to acknowledge two of them. The first of these influences was the late Judge Lynette McGough, who became the first woman to serve as judge in Lorain County when she was elected to the Lorain County Common Pleas Court in 1989. "For those of you who didn't know (McGough), she was a strong advocate for women in the profession of law," Webber said. "She mentored me and encouraged me as a young attorney. I am not even sure she really realized the impact that she had on me, but I was grateful for the time and the things that she shared with me." Webber also acknowledged the late Deanna Hill, who was the first woman to serve as North Ridgeville mayor and appointed Webber to her first job in public service as assistant law director. There were many other colleagues, friends and family members whom Webber thanked for guiding her professional journey, including her late father, Lorain County Domestic Relations Court Judge Hank Webber, who died in 2013. Webber was presented with a letter from Gov. Mike DeWine commissioning her as judge, but most of the ceremony was a family affair. Her husband, Chris Moore, led the ceremony and her sister Barbara Webber, who is also an attorney, led the room in the Pledge of Allegiance. Her children Thomas and Maggie Moore held the Bible on which she was sworn in by Mihok, and her mother Peggy Webber held up her black judge's robe as she donned it for the first time. Webber said she was overwhelmed by the level of support she received at her swearing in. "I am just so honored by the turnout, the vote of confidence," Webber said. "I feel very lucky to have this kind of turnout and this kind of support." Webber's term begins on Jan. 1, and she will serve for six years and she will serve alongside fellow Municipal Judge Thomas Elwell Jr., who was elected in 2003. Lorain Municipal Court serves as the misdemeanor court and court of first appearance for Lorain, Sheffield Lake and Sheffield Township. Contact Owen MacMillan at (440) 329-7123 or omacmillan@chroniclet.com.