Michael John Corrigan

Judge Michael John Corrigan

January 31, 1949 – October 8, 2026

Judge Michael John Corrigan, 77, passed away on October 8, 2026, after a life lived fully, loudly, and entirely on his own terms.

Born January 31, 1949, Mike graduated from Saint Ignatius High School in 1967 and from Boston College, cum laude, in 1971. He earned his law degree from Cleveland-Marshall College of Law in 1974 and was admitted to both the Ohio and Florida bars that same year.

Mike began his career as a trial attorney in the Major Trial Division of the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s Office, working under his father, longtime Cuyahoga County Prosecutor John T. Corrigan, while also keeping a private law practice. In 1982, the same year he was named one of Cleveland’s Top Ten Trial Attorneys, he was elected to the Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas. Voters returned him to the bench in 1988 and 1994, and he served there for sixteen years. Cleveland Magazine named him one of the city’s “toughest” judges in 1994, and in 1996 he served as president of the Ohio Common Pleas Judges’ Association.

In 1998 Mike joined the Eighth District Court of Appeals, where his colleagues elected him administrative judge in 2004. That same year he chaired the Conference of the Eighth Judicial District, was appointed by the Supreme Court of Ohio to its Commission on the Unauthorized Practice of Law, and was named an honorary trustee of Cleveland-Marshall College of Law. He served on the appellate bench until 2006. Those who appeared before him knew him as fair and sharp. Those who knew him off the bench knew he could find the humor in almost anything.

Mike’s commitment to his community reached well beyond the courtroom. He served on the boards of the Stella Maris, Freedom House, and Ed Keating detox centers, helping people find their way to recovery. He was a trustee of the Leukemia Society of America, a board member of Valley Riding’s therapeutic riding program, a member of MADD, and a Supreme Court appointee to the Ohio Civil Legal Needs Assessment Committee, which worked to bring legal help to people who could not afford it. He also served on the advisory board of the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction. He was a graduate of Leadership Cleveland and received the Outstanding Citizen’s Award from the Police and Fire Holy Name Society.

Mike loved to teach. He lectured at police and sheriff’s academies, Cleveland State University’s trial advocacy program, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland-Marshall, Baldwin-Wallace College, and more high schools and grade schools than anyone could count.

Away from the courthouse, Mike was head football coach at Westshore Parochial/St. Richard’s and a state Hot Stove baseball coach. He brought the same conviction to the sideline that he brought to the courtroom, teaching his players about the game, and also about showing up, working hard, and standing by your teammates. Proud of his Irish heritage, he was a member of the Westside Irish American Club, the Irish Heritage Center, and the Mayo Society.

Above all, Mike was a friend to many. He was quick with a joke, fun-loving, and impossible to forget. He lived life to the utmost, stubbornly and without regret, and he wouldn’t have wanted it any other way.

He is survived by his beloved wife of nearly 48 years, Catherine Jean Corrigan (née Ware); his children, Brian (Sarah), Patrick (Lindsey), and Aine; his grandchildren, Shane and Ziggy; and his siblings, Margaret (Peggy), Marty, Marleen, and Mary. He was preceded in death by his parents, Cuyahoga County Prosecutor John T. Corrigan and Virginia “Jinnie” Corrigan (née Jacoby), and his sister, Maura.