Thomas Hodson

Thomas Hodson, director emeritus of  WOUB Public Media and the E.W. Scripps School of Journalism at Ohio University, has led dual careers in law and journalism. His career as a criminal defense trial lawyer spanned over 20 years, with another 10 as a trial judge in both the municipal court and common pleas court in Ohio. He also serves as a visiting judge in Ohio and was a Judicial Fellow at the United States Supreme Court in the Administrative Office of the Chief Justice.

As a journalist, Hodson has pursued journalistic projects both in print and broadcast. He currently is an executive producer of six podcast and hosts his own podcast, “Spectrum” produced by WOUB.

He is widely published and continues to write numerous articles and columns for newspapers, magazines and trade journals. He co-authored the “Journalist’s Handbook to Ohio Courts,” and has served as talent for numerous public television documentaries and public affairs programs, and produced public affairs programming for public radio.

Hodson is often contacted by media for his legal expertise and has appeared on numerous radio and television news programs as such. An expert on sexual assault cases, Hodson published extensively during the 2012 trial of Jerry Sandusky, former Penn State assistant football coach, convicted on numerous counts of sexual assault of minors. During the trial, Hodson authored a series about the trial procedure for the non-profit organization, Male Survivor.

After handling thousands of criminal cases and sentencing hearings, Hodson is an excellent source for trial procedures, prosecution and defense strategies, judicial decisions and procedure.

For the past 35 years, Hodson has also served as a consultant, trainer and educator to national and international judges’ groups, court administrators, police and journalists on the topics of court and media relations. He has taught at the National Center for Courts and Media at the University of Nevada-Reno, the National Judicial College and for the National Center for State Courts in Williamsburg, Va.