Oct 13 2009
Ohio’s Chief Justice Pushes for Change
In our neighboring state of Ohio, Supreme Court justices are elected into office. And with the Supreme Court making as many important decisions affecting political matters as it does, reports the Dayton Daily News, the design of the system itself creates a problem:
Some court observers say bias is inevitable when justices are elected by popular vote and receive campaign contributions that can run into the millions.
The retiring Chief Justice, Thomas Moyer, believes in the integrity of his Court and its decisions, but he acknowledged the public perception that “justice is for sale.” The article quotes two well-known studies demonstrating that the perception is indeed wide-spread:
A 2008 American Bar Association poll found 79 percent of adults believed judges should not be allowed to accept money from “special interests.”
A 2002 poll sponsored by the Ohio League of Women Voters . . . found 83 percent of Ohio registered voters believe campaign contributions influence judges either to a great extent or somewhat.”
This trend is typical of a state that has popular elections of judges, especially one like Ohio, which from 1998-2008 spent over $20 million on judicial campaigns. The paper cited Ohio as being the second largest spender on judicial elections in the last decade after Alabama (with $40.9 million raised). Pennsylvania’s 2007 contest alone involved over $7.8 million in direct contributions to judicial candidates.
To combat the popular perception that judicial independence is threatened, Chief Justice Moyer is organizing a conference, along with the Ohio State Bar Association and the League of Women Voters of Ohio Education Fund, which he hopes will raise momentum for a change to Ohio’s electoral system. We hope Justice O’Connor, who will be participating in the conference and is a fierce advocate of Merit Selection, can convince the state of the benefits of choosing judges on merit.
Tags: Chief Justice, League of Women Voters, Merit Selection, Ohio, Sandra Day O'Connor, Thomas Moyer
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[...] judgesonmerit.org » Ohio’s Chief Justice Pushes for Change judgesonmerit.org/2009/10/13/ohio%E2%80%99s-chief-justice-pushes-for-change – view page – cached In our neighboring state of Ohio, Supreme Court justices are elected into office. And with the Supreme Court making as many important decisions affecting political matters as it does, reports the… (Read more)In our neighboring state of Ohio, Supreme Court justices are elected into office. And with the Supreme Court making as many important decisions affecting political matters as it does, reports the Dayton Daily News, the design of the system itself creates a problem: (Read less) — From the page [...]