Judge Stephen F. Belden has been a Canton Municipal Court Judge since January 3, 1997. Prior to his service to the Court, he was a partner with Vogelgesang, Howes, Lindamood & Brunn in Canton, specializing in civil litigation. From 1983 to 1987, Judge Belden was a partner with Belden, Fogei & Kauser in Charleston, South Carolina.

Judge Belden, a Canton native, received his BA summa cum laude from Marquette University in 1976 and his Juris Doctorate from Case Western Reserve University in 1979. He retired as a Commander in the Judge Advocate General Corps in the U.S. Naval Reserve serving on active duty from 1979 to 1983, mostly as a trial counsel (prosecutor) at the Naval Legal Service Office, Charleston, South.Carolina. Judge Belden is licensed to practice law in Ohio and South Carolina, and in their respective U.S. District and Circuit Court of Appeals. He is married to the former Kathleen Kerr, and the father of two children.

Judge Belden is active in many civic and charitable organizations. He presently is the President of the Board of the Catholic Charities of Stark County, the Vice Chairman of the African American Community Development Corporation, a Past Chairman of the Mayor's Literacy Commission of Canton, and a Trustee of the Stark County Bluecoats, an organization that provides financial assistance to the families of law enforcement officers. He is also a member of the Canton Rotary Club, the Ohio Bar Association and the Stark County Bar Association.