The 150th justice of the Supreme Court of Ohio, is very proud of her Polish heritage. Born Judith Ann Hodorowski, she grew up in the north end of Toledo. The Lagrange street area was the home of her grandparents and she was baptized at St. Hedwig's Church.

As a young girl, she became a postulant of the Franciscan Sisters of Sylvania, Ohio, the order begun by Mother Adelaide of Rochester, Minnesota. Some of her fondest memories are of singing Polish Christmas carols (Kolendy) at the convent during the holiday season.

The justice received her undergraduate degree with a dual major in Education and English, magna cum laude from the University of Toledo. Married to Robert Lanzinger since 1967 and having two children and 3 grandchildren, she taught in elementary school at St. Jude Elementary and other schools while starting a family and before law school.

She has taught in nearly every grade from kindergarten to college, and has continued to teach lawyers and judges in the United States and judges in the former Soviet Union. Justice Lanzinger has been an adjunct professor since 1988 at the University of Toledo College of Law, where she was valedictorian of her class.

Elected to the Toledo Municipal Court in 1985, then serving on the Lucas County Common Pleas Court from 1989 to 2003 and on the 6th District Court of Appeals from 2003 to 2005, Justice Lanzinger has judged at every level of the Ohio court system during the last 20 years.

Justice Lanzinger has continued to contribute to the legal profession as an active member of the judiciary. A former Chair and active board member of the Ohio Judicial College, she continues her interest in judicial education.

She is a charter member and Past President of the Morrison R. Waite American Inn of Court, a group known for mentoring law students and new attorneys. She joined the Ohio Bar Foundation's Class of 2000, has served as co-chair of the Public Education and Awareness Task Force of the Ohio Courts Futures Commission, and has served on the Supreme Court of Ohio's Board of Grievances and Discipline as well as the Ohio Criminal Sentencing Commission.

As a member of many legal and judicial associations, Justice Lanzinger has received numerous awards. One of her favorite recognitions came from the Junior Bar Association of Toledo which bestowed the Order of the Heel on her for her assistance to young lawyers.

   The Ohio Supreme Court Building in Columbus