Representative Adam Mathews Initiates Removal Proceedings Against Judge Berry Following Egregious Public Statements Regarding Charlie Kirk

State Representative Adam Mathews (R-Lebanon) today announced that he introduced a concurrent resolution to initiate the Ohio House of Representative’s removal proceedings against Judge Ted Berry, who refused to resign after making egregious and inflammatory public statements celebrating the political assassination of Charlie Kirk.

“Judge Berry has had more than a month to take the honorable path and resign,” said Mathews. “The people of Ohio deserve a judiciary they can trust to be fair, unbiased, and beyond reproach. Judge Berry’s actions have fallen far short of that sacred trust, and now the legislature must act to defend the courts.”

Last month, Judge Berry publicly celebrated the death of Charlie Kirk on social media, directly violating the Ohio Code of Judicial Conduct, including:

• Canon 1, Rule 1.2: Requires judges to uphold public confidence in the judiciary and avoid impropriety; 
• Canon 2, Rule 2.3: Prohibits bias or prejudice on the basis of race;
• Canon 2, Rule 2.4: Forbids judges from allowing political or personal interests to influence their judicial duties; 
• Canon 2, Rule 2.11: Addresses disqualification due to public statements reflecting bias or prejudice.

Mathews today filed a House resolution alongside Representative D.J. Swearingen (R-Huron) to initiate the constitutional process for the removal of Judge Berry from office. Swearingen serves as the Vice Chair of the House Judiciary Committee, and this resolution follows Mathews’ call for Judge Berry to resign on September 12, 2025.