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Pat Fischer
2017 - Present
2029
8
Pat Fischer (Republican Party) is a judge of the Ohio Supreme Court. He assumed office on January 1, 2017. His current term ends on January 1, 2029.
Fischer (Republican Party) is running for re-election for judge of the Ohio Supreme Court. He declared candidacy for the 2028 election.[source]
Fischer was elected to this court on November 8, 2016. He succeeded Justice Judith Ann Lanzinger. To read more about judicial selection in Ohio, click here.
In 2020, Ballotpedia published Ballotpedia Courts: State Partisanship, a study examining the partisan affiliation of all state supreme court justices in the country. As part of this study, we assigned each justice a Confidence Score describing our confidence in the degree of partisanship exhibited by the justices' past partisan behavior, before they joined the court.[1] Fischer received a confidence score of Strong Republican.[2] Click here to read more about this study.
Biography
Fischer received his undergraduate degree from Harvard University and his J.D. from Harvard Law School.[3] Fischer was elected to the Ohio First District Court of Appeals in 2010 and re-elected in 2012. Before joining the appellate court, Fischer spent his legal career in private practice.[4] Fischer was the president of the Cincinnati Bar Association from 2006 to 2007.[4]
Elections
2028
See also: Ohio Supreme Court elections, 2028
General election
The general election will occur on November 7, 2028.
General election for Ohio Supreme Court
Incumbent Pat Fischer is running in the general election for Ohio Supreme Court on November 7, 2028.
Candidate | ||
 | Pat Fischer (R) | |
| ||||
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Endorsements
Ballotpedia is gathering information about candidate endorsements. To send us an endorsement, click here.
2022
See also: Ohio Supreme Court elections, 2022
General election
General election for Ohio Supreme Court
Incumbent Pat Fischer defeated Terri Jamison in the general election for Ohio Supreme Court on November 8, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Pat Fischer (R) | 56.9 | 2,330,575 |
 | Terri Jamison (D) | 43.1 | 1,764,845 | |
| Total votes: 4,095,420 | |||
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Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Ohio Supreme Court
Terri Jamison advanced from the Democratic primary for Ohio Supreme Court on May 3, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Terri Jamison | 100.0 | 418,525 |
| Total votes: 418,525 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Republican primary election
Republican primary for Ohio Supreme Court
Incumbent Pat Fischer advanced from the Republican primary for Ohio Supreme Court on May 3, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Pat Fischer | 100.0 | 788,538 |
| Total votes: 788,538 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Campaign finance
2016
- Main article: Ohio Supreme Court elections, 2016
Fischer ran for the Supreme Court of Ohio. He was endorsed by the Republican Party in the primary.[5] He defeated Ohio First District Court of Appeals Judge Colleen O'Toole in the Republican primary on March 15, 2016. He faced the unopposed candidate from the Democratic primary, Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas Judge John P. O'Donnell, in the November 8 general election.[6][7]
Election results
November 8 general election
| Ohio Supreme Court, Lanziger's Seat, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican |  Pat Fischer |
50.28% | 2,044,984 | |
| Democratic | John P. O'Donnell | 49.72% | 2,022,514 | |
| Total Votes (100% reporting) | 4,067,498 | |||
| Source: Ohio Secretary of State Official Results | ||||
March 15 primary
| Ohio Supreme Court, Justice Lazinger's Seat Republican Primary, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican | Pat Fischer |
54.26% | 761,771 | |
| Republican | Colleen O'Toole | 45.74% | 642,048 | |
| Total Votes | 1,403,819 | |||
| Source: Ohio Secretary of State Official Results | ||||
Ohio State Bar Association rating
The Ohio State Bar Association's 25-member Commission on Judicial Candidates rates each supreme court candidate as either "not recommended," "recommended," "highly recommended," or "superior." Below are the ratings each 2016 candidate received.
A candidate who is rated "not recommended" received favorable evaluations from less than 60 percent of the commission members. A rating of "recommended" means that the candidate received favorable evaluations from more than 60 percent of the commission members. Those candidates rated "recommended" are subject to a second poll of the commission members; a vote of more than 70 percent of the commission raises that candidate's rating to "highly recommended." Those so rated are subject to a third poll; a vote of more than 80 percent of the commission will raise a "highly recommended" candidate to a rating of "superior."
| Ohio State Bar Association Ratings, 2016 | |
| Candidate | Rating |
|---|---|
| John P. O'Donnell | Recommended |
| Pat Fischer | Highly Recommended |
| Source: | Ohio State Bar Association |
2012
- Main article: Ohio judicial elections, 2012
Fischer was re-elected to the Ohio First District Court of Appeals. He defeated Martha Good in the general election on November 6, 2012, winning 54.43 percent of the vote.[8]
Cincinnati Bar Association judicial candidate ratings
| Excellent | Good | Fair | Poor | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Integrity, Character & Objectivity | 79% | 10% | 5% | 5% |
| Legal Experience, Knowledge & Ability | 81% | 13% | 4% | 2% |
| Respect for/courtesy to Litigants, Counsel & Witnesses | 78% | 15% | 5% | 2% |
| Diligence | 80% | 14% | 4% | 3% |
2010
- Main article: Ohio judicial elections, 2010
Fischer was elected to the Ohio First District Court of Appeals in 2010. He ran unopposed in the Republican primary. He defeated William Mallory in the general election, winning 54 percent of the vote.[10][11]
Campaign themes
2028
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Pat Fischer has not yet completed Ballotpedia's 2028 Candidate Connection survey. Send a message to Pat Fischer asking him to fill out the survey. If you are Pat Fischer, click here to fill out Ballotpedia's 2028 Candidate Connection survey.
Who fills out Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey?
Any candidate running for elected office, at any level, can complete Ballotpedia's Candidate Survey. Completing the survey will update the candidate's Ballotpedia profile, letting voters know who they are and what they stand for. More than 22,000 candidates have taken Ballotpedia's candidate survey since we launched it in 2015. Learn more about the survey here.
You can ask Pat Fischer to fill out this survey by using the buttons below or emailing Info@FischerForOhio.com.
2022
Pat Fischer did not complete Ballotpedia's 2022 Candidate Connection survey.
Campaign finance summary
Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.
Analysis
Ballotpedia Courts: State Partisanship (2020)
Last updated: June 15, 2020
In 2020, Ballotpedia published Ballotpedia Courts: State Partisanship, a study examining the partisan affiliation of all state supreme court justices in the country as of June 15, 2020.
The study presented Confidence Scores that represented our confidence in each justice's degree of partisan affiliation. This was not a measure of where a justice fell on an ideological spectrum, but rather a measure of how much confidence we had that a justice was or had been affiliated with a political party. The scores were based on seven factors, including but not limited to party registration.[12]
The five resulting categories of Confidence Scores were:
- Strong Democrat
- Mild Democrat
- Indeterminate[13]
- Mild Republican
- Strong Republican
This justice's Confidence Score, as well as the factors contributing to that score, is presented below. The information below was current as of June 2020.
Pat
Fischer
Ohio
- Partisan Confidence Score:
Strong Republican - Judicial Selection Method:
Elected - Key Factors:
- Was a registered Republican as of 2020
- Donated less than $2,000 to Republican candidates
- Received donations from Republican-affiliated individuals or organizations
Partisan Profile
Details:
Fischer was a registered Republican as of 2020. He donated $1,123 to Republican candidates. He received $42,225 from the Ohio Republican Party and $15,500 from the Hamilton County Republican Central Committee of Ohio. He was endorsed by the National Federation of Independent Business and the Ohio Chamber of Commerce PAC, both of which more frequently endorse Republican candidates than Democrats. Ohio was a Republican trifecta when he was elected.
Noteworthy cases
Ohio Supreme Court limits Chevron deference (2023)
- See also: Chevron deference
The Ohio Supreme Court on December 29, 2022, ruled against applications of Chevron deference in the state. In TWISM Ents., L.L.C. v. State Bd. of Registration for Professional Engineers & Surveyors, the court found that state courts do not need to defer to state agency interpretations of the law—a deference doctrine known as Chevron deference at the federal level.[14]
Lower courts in TWISM deferred to the Ohio Board of Registration for Professional Engineers and Surveyors’ interpretation of its engineering certification rules, which denied TWISM Enterprises’ application to provide professional engineering services because the company’s designated licensed engineer was an independent contractor rather than an employee. TWISM Enterprises appealed the decision to the Ohio Supreme Court, arguing that the agency’s interpretation of the governing statute was flawed because the law does not specify that the licensed engineer must be an employee of the business.[14]
Justice Pat DeWine (with Justices Sharon L. Kennedy, Pat Fischer, and Michael P. Donnelly concurring) disagreed with the agency’s interpretation of the statute and argued that the judicial branch has the authority to determine whether the statutory interpretations of state agencies are lawful. DeWine, writing for the court, argued “that it is the role of the judiciary, not administrative agencies, to make the ultimate determination about what the law means. Thus, the judicial branch is never required to defer to an agency's interpretation of the law.” DeWine added that “an agency interpretation is simply one consideration a court may sometimes take into account in rendering the court's own independent judgment as to what the law is.”[14]
Justices Maureen O’Connor, Melody Stewart, and Jennifer Brunner concurred in the judgment only.[14]
State supreme court judicial selection in Ohio
- See also: Judicial selection in Ohio
The seven justices of the Ohio Supreme Court are selected through partisan primaries and partisan general elections. Previously, these judges were selected through partisan primaries and nonpartisan general elections, known as the Michigan method.[15][16][17]
All judges serve six-year terms, after which they are required to run for re-election if they wish to remain on the court.[17]
Qualifications
To serve on the Ohio Supreme Court, a judge must:
- have at least six years in the practice of law;
- be licensed to practice law in the state for at least one year preceding appointment or commencement of the judge's term;
- be a judge of a court of record in any jurisdiction in the U.S.; or and
- be under the age of 70.[18]
Chief justice
The chief justice of the Ohio Supreme Court is chosen by voters at large, serving a full six-year term in that capacity.[17]
Vacancies
In the event of a midterm vacancy, the governor appoints a replacement. The appointee serves until the next general election taking place 40 or more days after the vacancy occurred. If re-elected, the judge serves the remainder of his or her predecessor's unexpired term.[17]
The map below highlights how vacancies are filled in state supreme courts across the country.
See also
2028 Elections
External links
|
Candidate Ohio Supreme Court |
Officeholder Ohio Supreme Court |
Personal |
Footnotes
- ↑ We calculated confidence scores by collecting several data points such as party registration, donations, and previous political campaigns.
- ↑ The five possible confidence scores were: Strong Democrat, Mild Democrat, Indeterminate, Mild Republican, and Strong Republican.
- ↑ Martindale.com, "Judge Profile: Patrick F. Fischer," accessed March 10, 2015
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Ohio First District Court of Appeals, "Judge Patrick F. Fischer," archived April 23, 2015
- ↑ Cleveland.com, "Ohio Supreme Court candidate loses bid to block enforcement of campaign-contribution rule," accessed January 16, 2016
- ↑ The Courier, "Ballot set for March primary election," archived February 2, 2016
- ↑ Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted, "2016 Ohio Elections Calendar," archived January 21, 2016
- ↑ Ohio Secretary of State, "Official Election Results, 11/6/2012: Judge of Court of Appeals," archived March 11, 2015
- ↑ Cincinnati Bar Association, "2012 Judicial Candidate Ratings," archived March 10, 2015
- ↑ Ohio Secretary of State, "Official Election Results: Judge of the Court of Appeals: November 2, 2010," accessed March 10, 2015
- ↑ Ohio Secretary of State, "Official Primary Results: Judge of Court of Appeals - Republican: May 4, 2010," accessed March 10, 2015
- ↑ The seven factors were party registration, donations made to partisan candidates, donations made to political parties, donations received from political parties or bodies with clear political affiliation, participation in political campaigns, the partisanship of the body responsible for appointing the justice, and state trifecta status when the justice joined the court.
- ↑ An Indeterminate score indicates that there is either not enough information about the justice’s partisan affiliations or that our research found conflicting partisan affiliations.
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 14.3 Supreme Court of Ohio, "TWISM Ents., L.L.C. v. State Bd. of Registration for Professional Engineers & Surveyors," December 29, 2022
- ↑ Ohio Secretary of State, “Ohio Candidate Requirement Guide,” accessed December 7, 2021
- ↑ Ohio General Assembly, “(Senate Bill Number 80),” accessed December 7, 2021
- ↑ 17.0 17.1 17.2 17.3 National Center for State Courts, "Methods of Judicial Selection: Ohio," accessed September 1, 2021
- ↑ Ohio Laws & Administrative Rules, "Section 2503.01 | Composition of supreme court; qualifications for justices.," accessed April 12, 2023
{{Ohio Supreme Court}
Federal courts:
Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals • U.S. District Court: Northern District of Ohio, Southern District of Ohio • U.S. Bankruptcy Court: Northern District of Ohio, Southern District of Ohio
State courts:
Ohio Supreme Court • Ohio District Courts of Appeal • Ohio Courts of Common Pleas • Ohio County Courts • Ohio Municipal Courts • Ohio Court of Claims
State resources:
Courts in Ohio • Ohio judicial elections • Judicial selection in Ohio
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