On November 7, 2023 Sydney Strickland Saffold was elected to a full six year term on the Cleveland Municipal Court, a seat previously held by Judge Joseph J. Zone who retired at the end of 2023.
Judge Saffold is a lifelong Clevelander. She attended Laurel School, then went on to earn her Bachelors in Political Science from The Ohio State University in 2009. Judge Saffold attended the University of Cincinnati College of Law where she earned her Juris Doctorate in 2014.
Judge Saffold’s legal career began during law school, where she served in the Hamilton County Public Defender’s office through the indigent defense clinic. She also served as the Civil Constable for the Honorable Nadine Allen in the Hamilton County Court of Common Pleas. Upon joining the bar, Judge Saffold began her legal career in the civil arena working for a local law firm handling employment discrimination cases, representing individuals that were wrongfully terminated for discriminatory reasons. That experience reinforced in Judge Saffold that her passion for the law was the work done in the courtroom. She moved into criminal defense practice, starting the law firm, Saffold Law, LLC, where she tried cases ranging from homicides to low level felonies and misdemeanors in enumerable cities and counties throughout Northeast Ohio.
Judge Saffold is licensed to practice in the United States Supreme Court, State of Ohio, and the United States District Courts in the Northern and Southern Districts of Ohio. She was chosen by a panel of federal court judges to be a part of a short list of attorneys who were entrusted with representation of defendants in federal court who were indigent but could not be represented by the Public Defender's Office. Judge Saffold was the youngest woman and, at the time, the only black woman who had the honor to serve in that capacity.
In addition to her work as an advocate, Judge Saffold served as a Magistrate in the Cleveland Municipal Court’s Housing Division. Throughout her legal career, she served in a volunteer capacity helping Cleveland residents in need with legal matters such as expungements, custody and housing issues. She was honored to serve as the Legal Redress Officer for the Cleveland Branch of the NAACP.
Serving the community is a part of who she is.
“With all the various levels of legal experience and connections I have made over the years, I truly feel I have the compassion, patience, understanding and temperament that it takes to be a good judge and I’m truly excited about my future here at the Cleveland Municipal Court,” she said.
Judge Saffold stays busy raising her two sons, Kingston and Cruz. As a single mother, she appreciates that everything she does is with the knowledge that her boys are watching because they are constantly seeing her dedication in serving the community, her willingness to volunteer when needed and her overall work ethic.