Ohio top court suspends Atty. Tamburrino's license

Staff report

COLUMBUS

Atty. Ron M. Tamburrino, who ran for a seat on the 11th District Court of Appeals, located in Warren, had his law license suspended for attack ads he ran against his opponent in the 2014 race.

The Ohio Supreme Court handed down a one-year suspension Wednesday to Tamburrino of Rock Creek, with six months stayed and requirements he attend a continuing-education course on judicial campaigns.

He lost to incumbent Judge Timothy P. Cannon by a vote of 56 percent to 44 percent in the race two years ago for one of two seats on the appeals court, which covers Trumbull, Ashtabula, Geauga, Lake and Portage counties.

Tamburrino faced a two-count complaint alleging he disseminated campaign materials about Judge Cannon that he knew were false or “in reckless disregard in their falsity,” according to documents.

One ad alleged Judge Cannon didn’t think teenagers’ consumption of alcohol was serious; another contended the incumbent wouldn’t disclose his taxpayer-funded travel expenses, according to documents.

Tamburrino’s campaign continued to air the ads after Judge Cannon complained. A state panel that handles such matters later found the ads did contain “patently false statements” and that Tamburrino “made statements either knowing that they were false or with reckless disregard of their falsity.”

In its ruling, the Ohio Supreme Court noted Tamburrino, as a judicial candidate, was obligated to follow the state’s Code of Judicial Conduct.

In a written statement, Tamburrino said he was disappointed in the decision “because I believe it punishes campaign speech in violation of the First Amendment.

“As the dissenting opinion [from Justice Judith L. French] correctly noted, the campaign statements at issue were ‘reasonably susceptible to truthful interpretations,’” Tamburrino said.