JP Election Brief: It's all about Ohio
The JP Election Brief | |
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| Pulling back the curtain on the drama of judicial elections | |
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| In this issue... | |
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October 2, 2014
| Ohio will have 333 judicial candidates on the ballot on November 4. 181, or 54%, of the candidates are incumbents. 147, or 44%, are unopposed. With lots of exciting races and a battle over early voting laws, the Buckeye State is one to watch during this election season. | ||
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Highlights of the Ohio judicial elections
Ohio:
For those running for judicial positions in Ohio, the primaries are partisan elections, while the general election is nonpartisan.
There are two incumbents of the Ohio Supreme Court running for election, Sharon L. Kennedy and Judith French. The two female, Republican incumbents are both going up against male Democrats, Tom Letson and John P. O'Donnell.
To learn more about these races, see:
The Ohio District Courts of Appeal are the state's intermediate appellate courts. Ten unopposed incumbents are running for re-election and seven incumbents are facing a challenger. There is one race for the First District where no incumbent is running. There was race for an open spot on the Eighth District as well, but it was decided in the primary because no Republican filed to run for the seat.
The majority of the judicial candidates are running for seats on the Courts of Common Pleas. There is one of these trial courts in each of Ohio's 88 counties. Out of the 333 total judicial candidates this year, 251 (75.4%) of them are running for a court of common pleas. 155 are incumbents and 133 are unopposed. 100 candidates are Democrats (39.8%) and 149 are Republicans (59.4%). The tiny piece of the pie remaining belongs to two minor party candidates--Robert N. Rusu, an Independent running in Mahoning County, and Roger D. Staton, a Libertarian running in Warren County.
SCOTUS decision on early voting in Ohio
In a 5-4 decision divided on partisan lines, the United States Supreme Court ruled on September 29 that Ohio's legislation that shortens the early voting period can go into effect this election season.[1]
Ohio's legislature, which is controlled by Republicans, reduced early voting from 35 to 28 days in February. The new plan also cut voting on the Sunday before election day and after 5 p.m. on weekdays. Challenges to the law were led by the ACLU and NAACP. U.S. District Judge Peter Economus blocked the cuts on September 4, saying that they violated the Voting Rights Act by discriminating against racial minorities and those of low income, who are more likely to vote early and use same-day registration.[2][3]
Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted brought the case to the U.S. Supreme Court. The five conservative justices voted to allow the cuts by staying the lower court's ruling. This decision halted the commencement of the early voting period, which was scheduled to begin 16 hours later. State senator Nina Turner said of the ruling:
| “ | Today’s decision is harmful to Ohio voters. The same divided court that struck down key provisions of the Voting Rights Act has now made it immeasurably more difficult for working Ohioans, African Americans, and low income and homeless voters to cast their ballot.[2][4] | ” |
The shortened early voting rules will be in effect for this year's election and a full trial on the issue is scheduled for next year.[2]
Featured races and fun facts
- Incumbent Cynthia Rice of the Eleventh District Court of Appeals and challenger Geoffrey W. Weaver are both from Indiana.[5]
- Of the seven races for the Franklin County Court of Common Pleas, five are contested. Since the opponents of Judge Dana S. Preisse and Judge Robert G. Montgomery withdrew, Colleen O'Donnell is the only incumbent facing an opponent. With only three incumbents running for re-election, there are guaranteed to be at least four new judges on the court.
Ninth District Court of Appeals: Belfance vs. Schafer--from Akron Municipal to the 9th District Court of Appeals
- Incumbent Eve Belfance was elected to the court in 2008. She attended Yale University and Case Western Reserve University School of Law. She was previously a judge on the Akron Municipal Court for three years.
- Judge Julie A. Schafer will finish up her first year as a judge on the Akron Municipal Court in January. She also maintains a private practice. She attended Hiram College for undergraduate degree, and received her J.D. and master's in business administration from the University of Akron.
Athens County Court of Common Pleas
- Incumbent George P. McCarthy is challenged by Herman A. Carson. McCarthy has only held the seat since May 2013, after an appointment by Gov. John Kasich. Carson is in private practice and has served as an acting judge on the Athens County Municipal Court.[6]
The name game
Name appeal and recognition in elections has proven to a big deal in Ohio. After the election in 2012, Democratic and Republic party officials claimed that two state supreme court justices were defeated because their challengers had "great ballot name[s]." The idea is that voters who might not know much about the candidates choose the candidate with the more appealing name.[7] Similar situations have been speculated upon during this year's election season.
- Shannon M. Gallagher and Matthew A. McMonagle are competing for a position on the Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas. A piece written by Brent Larkin, former editorial director of The Plain Dealer, said that Gallagher and McMonagle are some of the most successful judicial names in the county. Larkin said, "[I]f there was such a thing as judicial royalty, the McMonagles would be the reigning family." On the other hand, he pointed out:
| “ | Potent as the McMonagle name may be, no name has fared as well in recent elections on the judicial ballot as Gallagher. There are now five Gallaghers on the bench, four of them women.[4] | ” |
- Candidates Charlie Luken (Democrat) and Ralph E. Winkler (Republican), who are running against each other for the Hamilton County Court of Common Pleas Probate Division, have "the most potent political last names in Hamilton County," according to WVXU Cincinnati. Both have several relatives who have won elections in the county.[8]
See also
Footnotes
- ↑ Washington Post, "Supreme Court rules 5-4 for Republican plan to limit early voting in Ohio," September 29, 2014
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 MSNBC, "Supreme Court orders cuts to early voting in Ohio," September 29, 2014
- ↑ MSNBC, "Judge blocks early voting cuts in Ohio," September 4, 2014
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Cleveland.com, "5 takeaways from the Cynthia Westcott Rice, Geoffrey W. Weaver appeals court race: editorial board," September 26, 2014
- ↑ Athens News, "Judge race features 2 candidates with ample resumes," September 24,2014
- ↑ The Columbus Dispatch, "Voters swayed by names, parties say," November 8, 2012
- ↑ WVXU Cincinnati, "Luken vs. Winkler: This probate court race is no snoozer," August 17, 2014
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