Ohio Judicial candidates take clean-campaign pledge

With big-spending judicial races a possibility this year, four candidates for the Ohio Supreme Court have taken a clean-campaign pledge proposed by the Ohio State Bar Association, according to Gavel Grab. (Thanks to Ohio Citizen Action’s “Money in Politics” blog for the heads up!)

David Crago, dean of the Ohio Northern University Law School and chair of the OSBA’s Judicial Campaign Advertising Monitoring Committee, said the pledge was aimed at helping candidates and independent committees to “focus on credentials and experience.”

Signing the pledge were recently appointed Chief Justice Eric Brown, Justice Maureen O’Connor, Republican Justice Judith Lanzinger and appellate Judge Mary Jane Trapp, according to a Toledo Blade article.

The “clean campaign agreement,” according to the OSBA, asked candidates  to take personal responsibility for the content of advertisements or statements that they or their authorized committee’s issue. The pledge also asked candidates to publicly disavow ads from other sources that impugn the integrity of the judicial system or the integrity of a candidate for Supreme Court.

At a press conference (video available by clicking here), Justice O’Connor said she would follow a rule prohibiting judicial candidates from directly soliciting campaign dollars, despite an appeals court ruling striking down a similar rule in Kentucky.

“In my opinion, the principle behind the rule is irrefutable,” Justice O’Connor said. “If we want to see judicial campaigns conducted in a way that supports independence and impartiality, we cannot have judges dialing for dollars.” The Toledo Blade article said she was apparently alluding to her rival.

Editorial
A swipe at the ‘name game’ - The Plain Dealer