Ohio Supreme Court justice proposes overhaul of judicial election process

YOUNGSTOWN — Chief Justice Maureen O’Connor of the Ohio Supreme Court is calling for an overhaul of the judicial election process.

Justice O’Connor outlined her proposals tonight at the Mahoning County Republican Party’s “Salute to the Judiciary” that attracted and honored Republican and Democratic judges. She said she’s had preliminary talks with state legislators about her proposals.

The chief justice wants:

• The elimination of partisan judicial primaries. They create the perception, she said, that judges aren’t impartial and that they can be influenced by campaign contributions. Instead of political primaries, she wants a nonpartisan primary with the top two vote-getters running against each other in the general election for all judicial positions.

• The creation of a bipartisan vetting system for filling vacant judicial seats.

• An amendment to the Ohio Constitution requiring the consent of the state Senate in filling vacancies on the state Supreme Court.

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