The Associated Press

COLUMBUS - Former Ohio Supreme Court Justice Robert Holmes died Wednesday at his suburban Powell home. He was 81.

Holmes, known for more than a decade as the conservative voice of the court, left the court at the end of 1992, having reached the mandatory retirement age of 70.

As an appellate judge, he wrote a decision upholding the constitutionality of the age limit that forced his retirement.

Chief Justice Thomas Moyer praised Holmes as a principled jurist who earned the reputation as a strict constructionist.

He said Holmes "left a permanent legacy on the law of Ohio."

Holmes served 10 years on the 10th Ohio District Court of Appeals before being appointed in December 1978 to the Supreme Court, filing the unexpired term of Frank Celebrezze, who had been elected chief justice.

Holmes subsequently was elected to two terms on the court.

A public memorial service will be held at 3 p.m. Sunday at the Schoedinger Funeral Home in suburban Worthington.