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Ohio Supreme Court Term Limits Amendment (2017)
| Ohio Supreme Court Term Limits Amendment | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Election date November 7, 2017 | |
| Topic Term limits and State judiciary | |
| Status Not on the ballot | |
| Type Constitutional amendment | Origin Citizens |
The Ohio Supreme Court Term Limits Amendment was not on the ballot in Ohio as an initiated constitutional amendment on November 7, 2017.
The measure would have prohibited a justice of the Ohio Supreme Court from being appointed or elected for an additional term if the justice has served nine or more consecutive years as a justice.[1]
The committee sponsoring this amendment was also supporting the Laws Apply Equally to General Assembly Amendment. Both amendments were proposed as a single ballot initiative, but the Ohio Ballot Board divided the proposal into two initiatives. Secretary of State Jon Husted, a member of the ballot board, stated, "They are two different entities, and, thus, a voter could want to apply term limits to the Supreme Court but yet not support the language for the General Assembly or support the language for the General Assembly and not support term limits for the Supreme Court."[2]
Text of measure
Constitutional changes
- See also: Article IV, Ohio Constitution
The proposed amendment would have added a Section 6(D) to Article IV of the Ohio Constitution:[1]
(D) No person shall be elected or appointed as a judge of the Supreme Court if said person, at the time of said election or appointment, has served nine or more consecutive years as a judge of the Supreme Court regardless of whether as chief justice, a justice, or a combination of the two.[3]
Support
The Committee to Impose Term Limits on the Ohio Supreme Court and to Preclude Special Legal Status for Members and Employees of the Ohio General Assembly led the campaign in support of the measure.[4]
The committee submitting the petition included Ronald C. Alban, Timothy F. Boggs, and John F. Boyle, Jr.[1]
Opposition
Opponents
- Rep. Nicholas Celebrezze (D-15)[5]
Path to the ballot
Petitioners submitted a petition for the initiative, along with 1,573 signatures, to the Ohio Attorney General on October 26, 2016.[1] Supporters were required to turn 1,000 signatures in with the petition. On November 7, 2016, Attorney General Mike DeWine (R) determined the petition summary was fair and accurate and forwarded it to the Ohio Ballot Board.[6] To get the measure certified for the ballot, 305,591 valid signatures were due 125 days before the intended general election date. For the 2017 general election, 125 days prior was July 5, 2017.
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Ohio Attorney General, "Initiative Petition," October 26, 2016
- ↑ The Toledo Blade, "State board votes to split top court term-limit initiative," November 15, 2016
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source.
- ↑ Twinsburg Bulletin, "Group proposes term limits for Ohio Supreme Court," October 31, 2016
- ↑ Legal News Line, "Ohio lawmaker opposes term limits for state Supreme Court justices," December 23, 2016
- ↑ Ohio Attorney General, "Submitted Petition to Initiate a Constitutional Amendment," November 7, 2016
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