Michael A. Oster, Jr. was elected Judge of the Court of Common Pleas, General Division in November, 2014 and began serving on the bench on February 9, 2015. In addition to his regular docket, beginning in April of 2017, Judge Oster also began to preside over the Veterans Treatment Court specialized court docket operated by the Judges of the General Division. This is the first Veterans Court, at the Common Pleas level, in Butler County history. The Veterans Treatment Court is a separate, specialized docket in which Veterans of the United States Armed Forces receive court-supervised treatment as a condition of probation.

Judge Oster has been appointed by the Supreme Court of Ohio as a member of both the Commission on Continuing Legal Education as well as the Advisory Committee on Case Management. Judge Oster is also a member of the Ohio Judicial Conference’s Criminal Law and Procedure Committee, Specialized Docket Committee, and Court Administration Committee. Judge Oster was the Administrative Judge for the Common Pleas court in 2019 and 2020.
Judge Oster was admitted to the practice of law in November, 2003. He immediately began working as an Assistant Prosecuting Attorney for Butler County, Ohio. In 2007, Judge Oster was named the Chief of the Appellate Division for the prosecutor’s office. Judge Oster remained in that position until he took the bench in February, 2015.

During his tenure at the prosecutor’s office, Judge Oster argued 10 times before the Supreme Court of Ohio, tried multiple capital murder cases, and was one of only two attorneys in the nation to be awarded the Board of Directors’ Appellate Award for Outstanding Advocacy in Capital Cases in 2011-2012 from The Association of Government Attorneys in Capital Litigation (AGACL).

Judge Oster received his Law Degree (Juris Doctor) from the University Of Cincinnati College of Law. While attending UC Law, Judge Oster was named the Executive Director of the University of Cincinnati Moot Court Honors Board, was selected to the National Order of the Barristers, and was presented with the J. Carro Consummate Advocate Award. Prior to attending UC, Judge Oster graduated from Malone College (now University) where he was twice recognized as an Academic All-American in Men’s Soccer.

Judge Oster resides in Butler County (West Chester) with his wife and children. He is active in his community where he is the Varsity Head Coach of the Monroe High School Men’s Soccer Team, where in 2018 he was selected as the Div. II All-Ohio Coach of the Year. Judge Oster also volunteers with the Ohio Special Olympics and is active with Upward Basketball. Before taking the Bench, Judge Oster additionally served on the board of his Church, on the City of Monroe’s Personnel Board, as the Vice-Chair of the Butler County Law Library, as the finance chair of his Church, and on the Ohio State Bar Association’s committee for Jury Instructions.

Judge Oster is a member of the Butler County Bar Association, the Ohio State Bar Association, the Ohio Judicial Conference, and the Ohio Common Pleas Judges Association. He volunteers frequently as a presenter for Continuing Legal Education for attorneys on varying topics of criminal law, the rules of criminal procedure, and legislation. Judge Oster also volunteers as a judge for high school and college mock trial competitions.