Oster brings his ‘passion for the law’ to the judge’s bench

“I think my parents pretty much knew then I was going to go to law school,” Oster said with a smile.

On Feb. 6, the Berea, Ohio native, who has spent the past 11 years as an assistant county prosecutor, became the newest Butler County common pleas trial judge, replacing Judge Michael Sage who retired after 24 years on the bench.

Oster, the son of a police officer, has a passion for the law and soccer. He attended Malone University in Canton on a soccer and academic scholarship and received his law degree from the University of Cincinnati. In addition to a black robe, Oster also still wears soccer gear while coaching the Monroe High School men’s soccer team, which he plans to continue.

Oster and his wife, Wednesday, live in Monroe with their two young children.

While Oster served in several roles in the prosecutor’s office, including the juvenile division and criminal division where he was part of a prosecution team in three death penalty cases, the majority of his time was spent in the appellate division arguing the state’s side on points of law before the 12th District Court of Appeals and the Ohio Supreme Court.

The appellate work was a great training ground for his role as judge, Oster said, noting he’s spent hours “researching and writing about the law.”

“That can be a tough part of being a judge; that is what I have been doing,” Oster said.

Oster said he sees himself as an “average Joe,” who isn’t in the position because he is “connected” politically. And he noted despite what some may perceive, “as a prosecutor our goal is not to convict an innocent person.”

He is the first in his family to go on to higher education, Oster said.

“For the law to be a success, we need people who understand the law and who are capable of acting as a neutral referee,” Oster said. He added as judge he also wants to help educate people about the law.

“A black robe is not something to cloak ourselves in,” Oster said. “The justice system has great stories. I want to talk to people about the third branch of government.”

Oster said he does know as a judge his role will be more limited about what he can discuss, but he doesn’t believe he will have as much of a problem holding himself back in court in his new role as those he affectionately referred to as “trial dogs.”

“I have spent my time in more reserved courts where you wait your turn,” Oster said, adding he has a calm temperament.

But he said he will miss the peppering of questions from judges at the appellate and state levels, which is what happens when arguing appeals.

“I will miss that. I like the give and take and the chance to match wits with some of the best legal minds in the the state,” Oster said.

Sage, 64, attended Oster’s swearing in by Ohio Supreme Court Justice Sharon Kennedy, who is a former Butler County domestic relations judge, then he got in his convertible and headed south to meet his wife, Debby, in Florida.

Before taking the bench in 1991, Sage served as an assistant county prosecutor and criminal defense attorney.

Sage said Oster “has everything he needs to be a be a fine judge.”

In retirement, Sage, a retired United States Navy Captain who served in Vietnam, plans to return to his roots aboard a yacht for two years navigating the 6,000 miles of waters known as the “great loop.”