Supreme Court of Ohio

Ohio Supreme Court
Seal of the Supreme Court of Ohio
Established in	1841
Jurisdiction	Ohio , United States
Location	Ohio
Composition method	Semipartizan electoral
Authorized by	Ohio Constitution
Decisions are appealed to	Supreme Court of the United States

The Ohio Judicial Center

The Supreme Court of Ohio is the highest court in the U.S. state of Ohio, with final authority over interpretations of Ohio law and the Ohio Constitution. The court has seven members, a chief justice and six associate justices, each serving six-year terms. Since 2004, the court has met in the Ohio Judicial Center (formerly known as the Ohio Departments Building) on the east bank of the Scioto River in downtown Columbus. Prior to 2004, the court met in the James A. Rhodes State Office Tower and earlier in the Judiciary Annex (now the Senate Building) of the Ohio Statehouse.

The Ohio Supreme Court and the rest of the judiciary is established and authorized within Article IV of the Ohio Constitution.

Justices

All the seats on the court are elected at large by the voters of Ohio. Every two years, two of the associate justice seats are up for election. For one of those three elections in a cycle, the chief justice's seat is up for election. In order to run for a seat on the court, a person must be admitted to the Bar in Ohio, and have practiced as a lawyer or served as a judge for at least six years.^[1] There is an age limit: One may not run for a seat on any Ohio court if one is more than 70 years of age. This limit often forces the retirement of long-time justices. Justice Francis E. Sweeney Sr. was barred by this rule from running for re-election in 2004. However, a judge who reaches the age of 70 is not prevented from completing his term in office.

The Governor of Ohio may appoint a Justice to the Court when there is a vacancy.

Officially, the judicial elections are non-partisan. However, in practical terms, all this means is that party designations for the candidates are left off the ballot and justices are restricted in making public political statements. Major and minor parties all nominate candidates for the court in their primary elections. The vast majority of justices have been nominated by the two major parties in Ohio, Democratic or Republican. Many of the individuals who have contested Supreme Court seats have also contested for nominally partisan political offices, both state and federal.

With the election of Justice Robert R. Cupp in November 2006 to replace Democrat Alice Robie Resnick, the Court is currently all Republican.

• Due to Ohio Constitution age restrictions, Chief Justice Moyer will be unable to run for reelection when his current term ends in 2010.

Trivia

• From January to May 2003, for the first time since the court's creation, the female justices temporarily outnumbered the male justices. This historic female majority comprised Republicans Deborah L. Cook, Maureen O'Connor, Evelyn Lundberg Stratton, and Democrat Alice Robie Resnick.

References

See also

• Chief Justice of the Ohio Supreme Court
• List of Justices of the Ohio Supreme Court
• Election Results, Ohio Supreme Court
• List of Ohio politicians
• List of Ohio politicians (by state office)
• Ohio District Courts of Appeal
• Ohio Seventh District Court of Appeals

External links

• Ohio Supreme Court Online
• Opinions and Case Summaries of the Ohio Supreme Court

Coordinates: 39°57′37″N 83°00′09″W / 39.960358°N 83.002487°W / 39.960358; -83.002487

v • d • e Current elected statewide political officials of Ohio U.S. Senators George Voinovich · Sherrod Brown State government Ted Strickland, Governor · Lee Fisher, Lieutenant Governor · Jennifer Brunner, Secretary of State · Richard Cordray, Attorney General · Mary Taylor, State Auditor · Kevin Boyce, Treasurer (Appointed) Senate Bill Harris, President · Tom Niehaus, President pro tempore · Keith Faber, Majority Leader · Capri Cafaro, Minority Leader House Armond Budish, Speaker · Matt Szollosi, Speaker pro tempore · Jennifer Garrison, Majority Leader · William G. Batchelder, Minority Leader Supreme Court Thomas Moyer, Chief Justice · Paul Pfeifer · Evelyn Lundberg Stratton · Maureen O'Connor · Terrence O'Donnell · Judith Ann Lanzinger · Robert Cupp