Michael John Corrigan

Background

Michael John Corrigan was born on January 31, 1949, in Cleveland, Ohio, to John Thomas Corrigan and Virginia Harriet Corrigan. His father was a longtime Cuyahoga County prosecutor, and the family was connected with Cleveland's Irish-American Catholic community. Corrigan later maintained ties to Irish cultural organizations and identified with his Irish heritage.

He graduated from Saint Ignatius High School in Cleveland in 1967. His family background connected him with Cuyahoga County public life before he entered legal practice and judicial service.

Education

Corrigan graduated from Saint Ignatius High School in Cleveland in 1967. Founded in 1886, the Jesuit school formed part of Cleveland's Catholic educational tradition and emphasized secondary education within the intellectual and religious framework of the Society of Jesus.

He received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Boston College, graduating cum laude in 1971. Boston College, founded by the Jesuits in 1863, combined liberal-arts education with Catholic intellectual traditions. Corrigan then studied at Cleveland-Marshall College of Law, receiving his Juris Doctor in 1974. The Cleveland law school, established in the nineteenth century and later affiliated with Cleveland State University, developed a strong connection with the legal profession and public institutions of northeastern Ohio.

Career

Corrigan was admitted to the Ohio and Florida bars in 1974. He began his legal career as a trial attorney in the Major Trial Division of the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor's Office and also maintained a private law practice. His prosecutorial work took place in Cleveland's county justice system, where the prosecutor's office handled criminal litigation and represented the county in legal matters.

In 1982, Corrigan was named one of Cleveland's Top Ten Trial Attorneys. That year he was elected to the Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas and began serving as a trial judge in 1983. Voters returned him to the bench in 1988 and 1994, and he served on the court for sixteen years. In 1996 he was president of the Ohio Common Pleas Judges' Association, a statewide professional organization for judges of Ohio's general-jurisdiction trial courts.

Corrigan joined the Eighth District Court of Appeals in 1998. The court hears appeals from Cuyahoga County and is part of Ohio's intermediate appellate system. His judicial work included opinions in criminal and civil matters; in 2004 his colleagues elected him administrative judge of the district. That year he also chaired the Conference of the Eighth Judicial District, was appointed by the Supreme Court of Ohio to its Commission on the Unauthorized Practice of Law, and became an honorary trustee of Cleveland-Marshall College of Law. He remained on the appellate bench until 2006.

Beyond courtroom service, Corrigan lectured at police and sheriff's academies and taught in trial-advocacy programs associated with Cleveland State University, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland-Marshall, and Baldwin-Wallace College. He also coached youth football and state Hot Stove baseball. His civic work included service with addiction-recovery centers, legal-aid initiatives, therapeutic riding, and the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction's advisory board.

Achievements

• Corrigan served for sixteen years as a judge of the Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas after winning election in 1982 and reelection in 1988 and 1994.

• He served on the Eighth District Court of Appeals from 1998 to 2006 and was elected administrative judge in 2004.

• He chaired the Conference of the Eighth Judicial District in 2004 and served as president of the Ohio Common Pleas Judges' Association in 1996.

• He lectured in trial advocacy and at police and sheriff's academies, extending his legal experience into professional education.

• He contributed to community programs involving addiction recovery, civil legal assistance, therapeutic riding, leukemia support, and public corrections.

Religion

Corrigan was a Roman Catholic. His religious affiliation placed him within the Catholic tradition, whose American institutions combined sacramental worship, parish life, education, charitable service, and a developed body of social teaching.

Politics

Corrigan served on the executive committee of the Cuyahoga County Democratic Party. His political connection was therefore rooted in the Democratic organization of Cuyahoga County, where local party committees traditionally supported candidates, coordinated electoral activity, and connected public institutions with urban community life.

Views

Corrigan's documented civic work reflected a practical commitment to public service, legal access, recovery support, and community participation. His teaching and coaching activities also emphasized preparation, persistence, teamwork, and responsibility.

Membership

Corrigan belonged to the Ohio Bar Association and participated in legal, civic, Irish-American, charitable, and community organizations. His service included trusteeship and board work for organizations concerned with recovery services, leukemia support, therapeutic riding, and access to civil legal assistance.

His memberships in the Westside Irish American Club, the Irish Heritage Center, and the Mayo Society reflected the Irish cultural life of the Cleveland area. He also belonged to Mothers Against Drunk Driving and served in community organizations connected with public safety and social service.

• Member.

  Ohio Bar Association , United States

• Served on the executive committee.

  Cuyahoga County Democratic Party , United States

• Appointed by the Supreme Court of Ohio.

  Commission on the Unauthorized Practice of Law , United States

  2004

• Served as a Supreme Court of Ohio appointee.

  Ohio Civil Legal Needs Assessment Committee , United States

• Served as a trustee.

  Leukemia Society of America , United States

• Member.

  Mothers Against Drunk Driving , United States

• Member.

  Westside Irish American Club , United States

• Member.

  Irish Heritage Center , United States

• Member.

  Mayo Society , United States

Personality

Corrigan was described by family and colleagues as fair, sharp, quick with a joke, fun-loving, and engaged with people. These descriptions accompanied accounts of his judicial work, teaching, coaching, and community service.

Quotes from others about the person

• A family obituary described Corrigan as fair and sharp in the courtroom and as someone who found humor in many situations. It also characterized him as quick with a joke, fun-loving, and memorable to those who knew him.

Interests

• Irish cultural heritage, youth coaching, community service, and teaching.

• Sport & Clubs

  Football and baseball.

Connections

Corrigan was the son of John Thomas Corrigan, a longtime Cuyahoga County prosecutor, and Virginia Harriet Corrigan. He married Catherine Jean Ware on November 3, 1978, and they had three children, Brian, Patrick, and Aine. His father died in 2003, and his mother was identified in family notices as Virginia "Jinnie" Corrigan.

Father:

John Thomas Corrigan

Longtime Cuyahoga County prosecutor.

Mother:

Virginia Harriet Corrigan

Also known as Virginia "Jinnie" Corrigan.

Wife:

Catherine Jean Ware

Married Michael John Corrigan on November 3, 1978.

Son:

Brian Corrigan

Son:

Patrick Corrigan

Daughter:

Aine Corrigan

References

• Michael John Corrigan Obituary Documents Corrigan's birth and death dates, education, bar admissions, prosecutorial and judicial career, appellate service, professional appointments, teaching, coaching, community work, Irish-American affiliations, and family.
  2026
• John T. Corrigan Obituary Documents John Thomas Corrigan's family relationship to Michael John Corrigan and his career as Cuyahoga County prosecutor.
  2003
• State v. Henderson Ohio Eighth District Court of Appeals opinion identifying Michael J. Corrigan as presiding judge and documenting his appellate judicial service.
  2002
• State v. Spencer Published Ohio appellate decision identifying Michael J. Corrigan as a judge of the Eighth District Court of Appeals.
  1998