Judge Emanuella D. Groves  Cleveland Municipal Court  December 2001 - Present  
 
  Judge Emanuella D. Groves has used the power of the court to improve lives and the administration of justice for 18 years. The Pittsburgh Gazette wrote in 2016, “Rarely does a Pittsburgher look to Cleveland for help.” Well that’s exactly what happened when they looked to Judge Groves’ ruling that RTA’s fare enforcement practice was unconstitutional.  That ruling required RTA to cease its practice of demanding passengers show their proof of fare when they didn’t have probable cause to approach the passengers. Pittsburgh abandoned it's consideration to adopt the RTA practice.  

Judge Emanuella D. Groves is a 1981 graduate of Case Western Reserve University School of Law. She returned to the law school in 2016 as an adjunct professor and teaches Criminal Procedure II. As a wide-eyed 19-year-old law student in 1978, she would have never imagined being able to return to the classroom, standing in front as a professor, but her 35 years of experience earned her the credentials to do so.    Judge Emanuella Groves has been a prosecutor, civil attorney, and high ranking administrator with responsibilities that included overseeing the personnel office of the Cuyahoga Metropolitan Housing Authority, which had over 1,000 employees. She also was a private practitioner with her husband, Attorney Greg Groves.  Judge Groves brought a wealth of initiative, energy, AND experience to the Cleveland Municipal Court in 2001. 

During her service in the court, she created the following programs to improve our community:  The Get on Track program, designed to require defendants to secure their GED.   To date, over 600 defendants completed probation AND the GED requirement.  The Redirecting Our City Kids, (ROCK),  is a partnership with CMSD and Cleveland Recreation Department. This program requires parents to engage with the school, and the children complete community service through the Recreation Department. Thousands of parents and children have completed the program.   
  
  Community Orientation Program, (COP), is a class on the do’s and don’ts when stopped by the police. Hundreds of people have completed the class.    And, the Community Engagement Program, created in 2019 partners with community organizations to help residents overcome barriers to being law-abiding citizens. The first initiative, the Reinstatement Fee Amnesty Program, resulted in the elimination or reduction of over $300,000 of reinstatement fees owed by suspended drivers.   In regards to the improvement in the administration of justice, Judge Emanuella D. Groves has:  Written numerous opinions which have been published. These opinions are used by other judges as precedence, including appellate courts. The opinions are also cited in legal reference materials.  Initiated the process which eliminates defendants from sitting in jail on minor misdemeanor warrants.  Additionally, Judge Groves created the process which reduces time to get jailed defendants before their judges.  

As Mental Health docket judge, Judge Groves has eliminated jailing defendants who experience psychotic episodes. These individuals are transported to hospital or mental health provider.   Judge Emanuella D. Groves has received numerous national and local awards, and serves on national, state and local committees. She is married to Attorney Gregory Groves and they are the proud parents of two adult children.  Judge Emanuella D. Groves and her husband are members of Olivet Institutional Baptist Church. Judge Groves is a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.