Sara Lioi, Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Ohio, announced today the passing of Judge Lesley Wells of Cleveland Heights, who served on that court in Cleveland for more than twenty-one years. Judge Wells was appointed to the District Court by President William J. Clinton in 1994. Previously, she had served as a Common Pleas Judge in Cuyahoga County, Cleveland, Ohio for eleven years, beginning as the first woman Domestic Relations Judge on that court and thereafter, by election, to the Common Pleas Court of General Jurisdiction.
After graduating with honors and receiving her law degree from Cleveland State University’s Cleveland-Marshall College of Law, Judge Wells was in private practice and served as director of a national litigation support center at Cleveland State University (CSU) College of Law. She also served on the CSU faculty as an adjunct professor, teaching law and urban policy. She was a member of the American Law Institute, had served as President, Counselor and Master, William K. Thomas Chapter of American Inns of Court, was a member of the Council and Chair of the Jury Initiatives Task Force of the Litigation Section of the American Bar Association, was a member of the Cleveland-Marshall College of Law National Advisory Council, and participant in The Aspen Institute Justice and Society Program 2006 Justice and Society Seminar.
Judge Wells chaired the Ohio Task Force on Family Violence and was President of Cleveland Legal Aid Society. She served as a trustee of Miami University (Ohio) and of Chatham College, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, as well as of Cleveland’s Rose Mary Center for disabled children. She was a Fellow, Institute for Medicine and Humanities of the National Endowment for Humanities, a member of Case Western Reserve University’s Biomedical Ethics Advisory Committee, and she was the first woman member of the century-old Philosophical Club of Cleveland.
Her professional and community activities resulted in a number of awards, including: Superior Judicial Award, Ohio Supreme Court; Merit Service Award, Cleveland Bar Association; Josephine Irwin Award for Outstanding Service; Compassionate Judicial Insight Award; Distinguished Alumna Award, Chatham College; Alumni Award for Civic Achievement, Cleveland State University; Golden Gavel Award, Ohio Common Pleas Judges Association; Outstanding Alumni Award, Cleveland-Marshall Law Alumni Association; and 1995 Greater Cleveland Woman of Achievement Award, the YWCA of Cleveland.
As a United States District Judge, she presided over a number of high-profile cases, including U.S. v. James A. Traficant and Blue Cross and Blue Shield Mutual of Ohio v. Blue Cross Blue Shield Association.
Chief Judge Lioi stated, “Our court family deeply mourns the loss of our dear colleague, The Honorable Lesley Wells. Judge Wells was a trailblazer and role model in the legal profession. She had a keen intellect and deep commitment to public service. She took the time to mentor any young attorney who sought her wisdom and guidance. Judge Wells was also our friend, and she will always be remembered for her warmth, grace, dignity, collegiality, and humility. She will be greatly missed.”
The flag will be flown at half-staff at all courthouses in the Northern District of Ohio August 20, 2025, in her memory. The United States District Court for the Northern District of Ohio extends to the 40 northernmost counties of the state and holds court in Toledo, Cleveland, Akron, and Youngstown.