Paul Pfeifer
Paul E. Pfeifer was a justice on the Ohio Supreme Court. Pfeifer was first elected to the court in 1992, and he took office on January 2, 1993. He was re-elected by voters in 1998, 2004, and 2010. Because he reached the mandatory retirement age of 70, Pfeifer retired on January 1, 2017, at the end of his final term.[1][2]
Education
Pfeifer earned a B.A. in economics, political science, and history from The Ohio State University in 1963 and his J.D. from The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law in 1966.[3]
Career
- 1993-2017: Justice, Ohio Supreme Court
- 1976-1992: State Senator, Ohio State Senate
- 1973-1976: Assistant Prosecutor, Crawford County
- 1972-1992: Attorney, Cory, Brown and Pfeifer
- 1971-1972: Representative, Ohio House of Representatives
- 1966-1971: Assistant Attorney General, Ohio[3][1]
Elections
2010
- Main article: Ohio judicial elections, 2010
Pfeifer was re-elected after running unopposed.[4][5]
| Candidate | Incumbent |
|---|---|
Paul Pfeifer  |
Yes |
2004
Pfeifer was re-elected to the court after running unopposed.[6]
| Candidate | Incumbent |
|---|---|
| Paul Pfeifer |
Yes |
1998
Pfeifer defeated Ronald Suster, winning 71.38% of the vote.[7]
| Candidate | Incumbent | Seat | Party | Election % |  |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paul Pfeifer |
Yes | Term commencing January 2, 1999 | Republican | 71.4% | |
| Ronald Suster | No | Term commencing January 2, 1999 | Democratic | 28.6% |
1992
Pfeifer defeated John T. Patton with 53% of the vote.[8]
| Candidate | Incumbent | Seat | Party | Election % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paul Pfeifer |
No | Term commencing on January 2, 1993 | Republican | 53.0% | |
| John T. Patton | No | Term commencing on January 2, 1993 | Democratic | 47.0% |
Campaign contributions
The complete list of contributions for all of Pfeifer's campaigns may be found at: Follow The Money
Political ideology
In October 2012, political science professors Adam Bonica and Michael Woodruff of Stanford University attempted to determine the partisan ideology of state supreme court justices. They created a scoring system in which a score above 0 indicated a more conservative-leaning ideology, while scores below 0 were more liberal.
Pfeifer received a campaign finance score of 0.26, indicating a conservative ideological leaning. This was less conservative than the average score of 0.62 that justices received in Ohio.
The study was based on data from campaign contributions by the judges themselves, the partisan leaning of those who contributed to the judges' campaigns, or, in the absence of elections, the ideology of the appointing body (governor or legislature). This study was not a definitive label of a justice, but an academic summary of various relevant factors.[9]
Death penalty in Ohio
In 2010, Pfeifer said that all cases for inmates on Ohio's Death Row should be reviewed to determine which ones could be converted to life in prison without parole. It is his opinion that "[t]he only reason we have a death penalty is society demands retribution. . . . I never made the argument that it was a deterrent. You can't prove it with numbers."[10]
Pfeifer was one of the state senators to bring back the law allowing the death penalty in 1981, after the U.S. Supreme Court declared the old law unconstitutional.[10]
Recent news=
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Judge OR Justice Paul Pfeifer Supreme Court Ohio. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
External links
- Supreme Court of Ohio, Justice Paul E. Pfeifer's weekly column
- Wikipedia.org, Paul Pfeifer, accessed July 4, 2013
- The Plain Dealer, "Ohio Supreme Court clarifies rules on 'John Doe' lawsuits," June 8, 2010
- The Plain Dealer, "Ohio Supreme Court delivers victory for business and defeat for injured workers; Justice Paul Pfeifer dissents," March 23, 2010
- The Plain Dealer, "Ohio Supreme Court Justice Paul Pfeifer urges lawmakers to repeal death penalty in Ohio," December 14, 2011
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 The Supreme Court of Ohio, Senior Associate Justice Paul E. Pfeifer
- ↑ Marjorie J. Yano, Lexology, "Candidates file petitions for 2016 elections," December 17, 2015
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Project Vote Smart, Justice Paul E. Pfeifer (OH)
- ↑ The Plain Dealer "Ohioans will elect first new chief justice in 24 years," February 18, 2010
- ↑ Toledo Blade "Strickland eyes court balance," February 3, 2010
- ↑ Ohio Secretary of State, Election Results 2004, Justice of the Supreme Court
- ↑ Ohio Secretary of State, Election Results 1998, Supreme Court Justice
- ↑ Ohio Secretary of State, Election Results 1992, Supreme Court Justice
- ↑ Stanford University, "State Supreme Court Ideology and 'New Style' Judicial Campaigns," October 31, 2012
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 Columbus Dispatch, "Death Row cases should be reviewed, justice says," May 15, 2010
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
