Robert R. Cupp
Legislation & the Judiciary: How Courts Interpret the Law
Robert R. Cupp has served as an elected official in all three branches of government and at both the local and state levels of government in Ohio. He was as an Allen County commissioner, a state Court of Appeals judge, and a justice of the Supreme Court of Ohio. He also has served as a city prosecutor and chief legal counsel for Ohio’s state auditor. Cupp was elected to the Ohio House of Representatives in 2014, and the Republican from Lima was elected speaker of the House in July 2020. He served in that position until December 2022. Cupp first served in the Ohio General Assembly as a senator from 1985 to 2000. In the Senate, Cupp served as president pro tempore, the second-highest leadership post, from 1997 to 2000. For his legislative accomplishments, he has received numerous “Legislator of the Year” awards from various organizations, was named a recipient of the “Watchdog of the Treasury Award” five times, and was awarded the prestigious “Guardian of Small Business Award” from the National Federation of Independent Business, Ohio. Cupp and his wife also jointly received the Founder’s Award from the Ohio Center for Law-Related Education. Cupp served as a justice on the Ohio Supreme Court from 2006 to 2012. Before becoming a member of the state’s high court, he served as administrative judge and presiding judge of the Ohio Court of Appeals, 3rd Appellate District. Before his legislative service, he served as a Lima city prosecutor and as assistant director of law, and twice was elected county commissioner. Cupp has a law degree from Ohio Northern’s Pettit College of Law. He was engaged in private practice for more than 25 years, and has taught courses in leadership studies, judicial process, and state education policy at Ohio Northern University. He is the co-author of “Ethics and Discipline in Ohio,” which focuses on the state’s legal system. Cupp has a long history of being active with the Midwestern Legislative Conference (MLC). He is a former co-chair of the MLC Midwest-Canada Relations Committee and also previously served as a member of the MLC Executive Committee. Cupp has been a member of the BILLD faculty since 2010.
Robert R. Cupp
3003 West Hume Road | Lima, Ohio 45806
tel: 419.230.2668 | Email Bob Cupp