Judge Richard L. Moore

Judge Moore was elected to the First District Court of Appeals in November 2024. A first-time candidate, Judge Moore made history as the first African American elected to a seat on the First District.

Prior to joining the bench, Judge Moore was a trial attorney in private practice at two of the largest law firms in Cincinnati.

During his over 30 years in private practice, Judge Moore was a frequent lecturer and author on topics related to employment law and previously served as an adjunct professor of legal ethics at the University of Cincinnati College of Law.

The youngest child of Richard and Jeanne Moore, Judge Moore grew up in Kennedy Heights and attended Walnut Hills High School and Calvary United Methodist Church.

After graduating from Walnut, Judge Moore went on to Bowling Green State University. While at Bowling Green, Judge Moore joined Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., Epsilon Theta Chapter, and went on to serve as chapter president. While at BGSU, Judge Moore also served in leadership roles in many other campus organizations and was awarded the Presidential Service Award his senior year. Judge Moore graduated from Bowling Green in 1987 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration.

After working in the private sector for three years, Judge Moore enrolled at the University of Cincinnati College of Law. While in law school, Judge Moore was invited to join the Law Review and served as president of the Black Law Student Association. Judge Moore received his J.D. from U.C. in 1993 and was admitted to the Ohio Bar that same year.

As an attorney, Judge Moore was selected for inclusion in the Ohio Super Lawyers since 2018, Cincy Magazine Leading Lawyers in 2021, and Best Lawyers in America since 2020. Judge Moore was also previously named as one of the Cincinnati Business Courier’s Forty Under 40.

Judge Moore has served on the boards of the Taft Museum of Art, La Soupe, and The Bowling Green State University Foundation. Judge Moore has also previously served as President of the Mercantile Library Association, Board Chair of the Cancer Support Community of Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky, Board Chair of the Urban League of Greater Cincinnati, and Co-Chair of the Greater Cincinnati Minority Counsel Program. Judge Moore is also a former trustee of the Cincinnati Bar Association and the Cincinnati Bar Foundation.