Ohio primary next in nation

February 29, 2012

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Ohio: Republican presidential candidates are not the only ones preparing for next Tuesday's primary election in Ohio. The fates of judicial candidates will also be decided on nine courts.

• Ohio Supreme Court: Democrats Fanon Rucker and William O'Neill will compete to determine who will face incumbent Republican Robert Cupp in the general election.

District Courts of Appeal

• Ohio Second District Court of Appeals: The Second District has jurisdiction in rural counties in mid-western Ohio. There will be two contests for this court. Austin P. Wildman and Jeffrey M. Welbaum will compete as Republicans, while Carley Ingram and Darrell Heckman will face off as Democrats.

• Ohio Fourth District Court of Appeals: The Fourth District covers south central Ohio. This district has six candidates competing for the seat of retiring judge Roger Kline. Four of these candidates are Republicans, while two will compete as Democrats. The Republicans are: Leonard F. Holzapfel, Steven C. Newman, Patricia Sanders and Lori Pritchard Hardin. The Democrats are Tom Spetnagel and Marie Hoover.

• Ohio Fifth District Court of Appeals: The Fifth District encompasses central Ohio. A Republican contest between Jeanette Moll and Flite H. Freimann will occur next Tuesday. The winner will compete against Democratic incumbent Patricia Delaney in the general election.

• Ohio Sixth District Court of Appeals: The Sixth District covers the northwest border of the state. Two Republican candidates are competing for a vacant seat in the primary. Either Robert G. Christiansen or James D. Jensen will effectively win election if they win on Tuesday, since no challenger has emerged for the general election.

• Ohio Eighth District Court of Appeals: This district has jurisdiction over the greater Cleveland area. There are three contests next Tuesday. In one, five Democratic candidates will compete for the seat of retiring judge Colleen Cooney. Those candidates are: Timothy P. Gilligan, Timothy McCormack, Peter Sikora, Erin M. O'Toole, and Lori Anne Dyke. Republicans competing for the same seat are Kenneth R. Spanagel and Elizabeth Harvey. Meanwhile, two Democrats will compete for the seat of retiring Judge James Sweeney. Either Eileen T. Gallagher or Joseph Compoli will effectively win election, since there is no challenger for the general election.

Courts of Common Pleas

There will also be judicial primaries in three Common Pleas Courts: Cuyahoga, Darke, and Lorain.

• In Cuyahoga County, there will be five contests. Two Democratic primaries for the Juvenile Division of the Court, one for a full term, and two for unexpired terms.

• In Darke County, there will be a Republican primary for a seat for incumbent Jason Aslinger's seat on the Probate and Juvenile Court.

• In Lorain County, there will be two Democratic primaries for seats on the Domestic Relations Division, and one for the General Division.

Be sure to check back with Judgepedia for primary results next Wednesday!