Litigation

Editorial: Almost Time to Re-Examine OH Judicial Campaigns

By Peter Hardin

The time is almost right for a re-examination of Ohio’s judicial campaign system, an editorial in the Columbus Dispatch asserts.

The editorial points to rulings by a federal appeals court and the Ohio Supreme Court (see Gavel Grab) that had the effect of relaxing some rules for judicial campaigns, and to election reforms recently proposed by Justice Maureen O’Connor during her campaign for chief justice (details in Gavel Grab).

One of Justice O’Connor’s proposals is giving the state Senate authority to approve or reject a governor’s appointments for open seats on the state high court. The editorial offered this skeptical view:

“Giving the state Senate advise-and-consent powers similar to the federal model is a provocative proposal that would markedly constrain the power of the governor’s office. While it could be seen as a check-and-balance mechanism, the bitter partisanship that has gridlocked federal judicial appointments offers a cautionary note.”

The newspaper said the recent court actions are likely to reopen debate over electing judges and justices  in Ohio versus appointing them. The editorial concluded:

“All of these questions deserve Ohioans’ attention – as soon as the election-year noise has died down.”

Full post as published by The Gavel on September 20, 2010 (boomark / email).