Maureen O'Connor (Ohio)
Maureen O'Connor (Republican Party) was the Ohio Supreme Court Chief Justice. She assumed office in 2011. She left office on December 31, 2022.
In Ohio, the position of chief justice is a specific seat on the court (similar to the Supreme Court of the United States) rather than a peer-selected leadership position. O'Connor was elected as chief justice in 2010 and re-elected in 2016.[1]
O'Connor was first elected to the court as an associate justice in November 2002.[1] 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.[2] O'Connor received a confidence score of Strong Republican.[3] Click here to read more about this study.
Biography
O'Connor received her undergraduate degree in 1973 from Seton Hill College and her J.D. in 1980 from Cleveland-Marshall College of Law.[1] Prior to serving on the Ohio Supreme Court, O'Connor was the state's lieutenant governor from 1999 to 2002. She was also a prosecutor for Summit County, Ohio, from 1995 to 1997, and a judge for the Summit County Court of Common Pleas from 1993 to 1995. O'Connor was a magistrate on the Summit County Probate Court from 1985 to 1993, and was an attorney in private practice from 1980 to 1984.[1]
In 2008, O'Connor was awarded the Republican Party of Cuyahoga County's William H. Rehnquist Award, and in 1997 she was awarded Summit County's MADD Law Enforcement Award, and Cleveland State University's Distinguished Alumnae Award for Civic Achievement.[1] O'Connor served as the chair of the Ohio Supreme Court's Advisory Committee on Court Security and Emergency Preparedness, and in 2011 was named to the Women's Bar Foundation Leadership Institute.[4][1]
A Conversation with Chief Justice Maureen O'Connor
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Elections
2022
- See also: Ohio Supreme Court elections, 2022
Chief Justice Maureen O'Connor did not file for re-election due to the court's mandatory retirement age limit.[5]
2016
- See also: Ohio Supreme Court elections, 2016
O'Connor ran unopposed for re-election to the Supreme Court of Ohio. The general election was on November 8, 2016.[6][7]
Election results
November 8 general election
| Ohio Supreme Court, O'Connor's Seat, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican |  Maureen O'Connor (Ohio) Incumbent (unopposed) |
100.00% | 3,562,413 | |
| Total Votes (100% reporting) | 3,562,413 | |||
| Source: Ohio Secretary of State Official Results | ||||
March 15 primary
| Ohio Supreme Court, Justice O'Connor's Seat Republican Primary, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican | Maureen O'Connor Incumbent (unopposed) |
100.00% | 1,353,231 | |
| Total Votes | 1,353,231 | |||
| 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 |
|---|---|
| Maureen O'Connor | Highly Recommended |
| Source: | Ohio State Bar Association |
Campaign finance
2010
- Main article: Ohio judicial elections, 2010
O'Connor was elected chief justice of the Ohio Supreme Court, becoming the first woman in Ohio history to serve in that position. She defeated Eric Brown in the general election, winning 67.8% of the vote.[8][9]
| Candidate | Incumbent | Seat | Party | Election % |  |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Maureen O'Connor  |
No | Brown Seat | Republican | 67.6% | |
| Eric Brown | Yes | Brown Seat | Democratic | 32.4% |
2008
Justice Connor was re-elected to the supreme court on November 4, 2008. She faced Joseph D. Russo, a Common Pleas Court judge from Cuyahoga County. Justice O'Connor won with 67% of the votes, to Judge Russo's 33%. [10]
| Candidate | Incumbent | Seat | Party | Election % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maureen O'Connor |
Yes | O'Connor Seat | Republican | 67.1% | |
| Joseph Russo | No | O'Connor Seat | Democratic | 32.9% |
2002
O'Connor ran for election the Ohio Supreme Court. She defeated opponent Timothy S. Black, winning 57.25% of the vote.[11] O’Connor's campaign raised $1,777,617. Black's campaign raised $1,323,136.[12]
O'Connor's election switched the majority of justices of the Ohio Supreme Court from liberal to conservative.[13]
| Candidate | Incumbent | Party | Election % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maureen O'Connor |
No | Republican | 58.3% | |
| Timothy S. Black | No | Democratic | 42.7% |
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.[14]
The five resulting categories of Confidence Scores were:
- Strong Democrat
- Mild Democrat
- Indeterminate[15]
- 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.
Maureen
O'Connor
Ohio
- Partisan Confidence Score:
Strong Republican - Judicial Selection Method:
Elected - Key Factors:
- Was a registered Republican as of 2020
- Held political office as a Republican
- Donated less than $2,000 to Republican candidates
Partisan Profile
Details:
O'Connor was a registered Republican as of 2020. From 1999 to 2002, she served as the Lieutenant Governor of Ohio as a Republican. She donated $508 to Republican candidates. She received $302,248 from the Ohio Republican Party and $25,250 from the Hamilton County Republican Central Committee of Ohio. She was endorsed by the National Federation of Independent Business/Ohio and the Ohio Chamber of Commerce PAC, both of which endorse Republican candidates more frequently than Democrats. Ohio was a Republican trifecta when she was elected
Other Scores:
Bonica and Woodruff campaign finance scores (2012)
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.
O'Connor received a campaign finance score of 0.91, indicating a conservative ideological leaning. This was more 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.[16]
Noteworthy events
Judicial elections proposal
In May 2013, O'Connor contributed an op-ed piece to the Columbus Dispatch and The Plain Dealer introducing a proposal titled "Ohio Courts 2013: A Proposal for Strengthening Judicial Elections." Questions that O'Connor presented for consideration were:[17]
| “ |
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” |
Click here to read O'Connor's proposal.
Plan to reduce judiciary budget
In a July 21, 2010 news conference, O'Connor outlined a plan to reduce the cost of running the judiciary in Ohio. The plan focused on the chief justice's role as head of the state's courts, suggesting budget cuts to the Ohio Courts Network and the state law library, and implementing a two-year salary freeze for court personnel.[19]
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.[20][21][22]
All judges serve six-year terms, after which they are required to run for re-election if they wish to remain on the court.[22]
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;
- a judge of a court of record in any jurisdiction in the U.S.; and
- be under the age of 70.[23]
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.[22]
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.[22]
In 2007, Governor Ted Strickland (D) issued an executive order creating a judicial appointment recommendation panel to assist in making new appointments. The panel evaluates applicants and advises the governor, but the governor is not bound to the panel's recommendations.[22] A similar system was established in 1972 under Governor Jack Gilligan (D), but it was abolished by Governor James A. Rhodes (R) three years later.[24]
The map below highlights how vacancies are filled in state supreme courts across the country.
See also
External links
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Personal |
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 Ohio Supreme Court, "Maureen O'Connor biography," archived July 4, 2014
- ↑ 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.
- ↑ Ohio Supreme Court, "Justices Named to Women's Bar Foundation Leadership Institute," March 29, 2011
- ↑ The Columbus Dispatch, "COVID, sentencing reform among focuses for final years of Chief Justice Maureen O'Connor's term," December 29, 2020
- ↑ Denise Grant, The Courier, "Ballot set for March primary election," December 17, 2015
- ↑ Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted, "2016 Ohio Elections Calendar," archived February 2, 2016
- ↑ Ohio Secretary of State, "2010 Election Results," accessed June 30, 2021
- ↑ The Plain Dealer, "Ohio Supreme Court Justice Maureen O'Connor to make run for chief justice official today," February 9, 2010
- ↑ Ohio Secretary of State, "2008 Election Results," accessed June 30, 2021
- ↑ Ohio Secretary of State, "2002 Election Results," accessed June 30, 2021
- ↑ Citizen's Policy Center, "2002 contributions to candidates for Ohio Supreme Court Justice," March 3, 2003
- ↑ The Toledo Blade, "Incumbent says court must project 'image of stability'," September 28, 2008
- ↑ 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.
- ↑ Stanford University, "State Supreme Court Ideology and 'New Style' Judicial Campaigns," October 31, 2012
- ↑ Akron Legal News, "It’s time to work together to strengthen judicial elections," May 30, 2013
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ The Columbus Dispatch, "Chief-justice candidates spar over plan to trim budget," July 22, 2010
- ↑ Ohio Secretary of State, “Ohio Candidate Requirement Guide,” accessed December 7, 2021
- ↑ Ohio General Assembly, “(Senate Bill Number 80),” accessed December 7, 2021
- ↑ 22.0 22.1 22.2 22.3 22.4 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
- ↑ University of Cincinnati College of Law, "Judicial Selection in Ohio: History, Recent Developments, and an Analysis of Reform Proposals," September 2003
Federal courts:
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State courts:
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State resources:
Courts in Ohio • Ohio judicial elections • Judicial selection in Ohio