Current:Home > StocksSupreme Court justice sues over Ohio law requiring certain judicial candidates to use party labels-Angel Dreamer Wealth Society D1 Reviews & Insights
Supreme Court justice sues over Ohio law requiring certain judicial candidates to use party labels
View Date:2024-12-25 13:24:09
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — A top jurist and former elections chief in Ohio has sued two state officials over a recently passed law that requires certain judicial candidates to declare their party affiliation on ballots.
Ohio Supreme Court Justice Jennifer Brunner argues in the lawsuit filed Tuesday that the 2021 law violates the free speech, due process and equal protection clauses of the U.S. Constitution because it subjects candidates like her to different rules for fundraising and campaigning than their potential nonjudicial rivals.
That’s partly because candidates for those court positions are subject to “significant prohibitions of certain conduct” under Ohio’s judicial code of conduct, Brunner argues in U.S. District Court in Youngstown, including any kind of “political or campaign activity that is inconsistent with the independence, integrity, or impartiality of the judiciary.”
The legal challenge was filed against Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose and Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost in their roles as the state’s top elections and legal officers, respectively. Brunner served as secretary of state from 2007 to 2011.
Besides adding party labels, the new law made additional ballot changes. Those included placing Supreme Court candidates on ballots directly below candidates for statewide offices and Congress, who typically use party labels, and separating high court candidates from county and municipal judicial candidates, who run without party labels.
Brunner, a Democrat, noted the close timing of the law’s introduction at the Republican-controlled Statehouse to her declaration of candidacy for chief justice in 2021. She lost that race to fellow Justice Sharon Kennedy, a Republican, after having handily won a nonpartisan race for justice in 2020. Brunner’s initial election to Ohio’s 7-member high court followed the election of two other Democrats — both in nonpartisan races — in 2018, a rare win for the party in the GOP-dominated state.
Prior to the law, Ohio’s practice of leaving judicial candidates’ party affiliation off the general ballot went back more than 160 years. Before that, the Ohio General Assembly appointed judges.
During debate on the issue, some voters said they vote less frequently for judicial candidates than other offices on their ballots because of a lack of information about them, according to a 2014 Ohio Judicial Elections Survey.
More than half of respondents of the survey said a party label would be “very” or “somewhat” helpful in judicial elections.
LaRose’s spokeswoman said the office does not comment on pending litigation. Yost’s spokesperson didn’t immediately reply to a request for comment.
veryGood! (2424)
Related
- John Robinson, former USC Trojans and Los Angeles Rams coach, dies at 89
- You Need to See JoJo Siwa’s NSFW Cover
- Lady Gaga reveals surprise album and fans only have to wait until Friday for 'Harlequin'
- Pac-12 files federal lawsuit against Mountain West over $43 million in ‘poaching’ penalties
- Bankruptcy judge questioned Shilo Sanders' no-show at previous trial
- Exclusive First Look: Charlotte Tilbury 2024 Holiday Beauty Collection, Gift Ideas & Expert Tips
- West Virginia state senator arrested on suspicion of DUI, 2nd arrest in months
- This AI chatbot can help you get paid family leave in 9 states. Here's how.
- The Masked Singer's Ice King Might Be a Jonas Brother
- Ex-officer testifies he disliked his unit’s ‘hostility’ even before Tyre Nichols beating
Ranking
- Horoscopes Today, November 10, 2024
- Whoopi Goldberg asks for 'a little grace' for Janet Jackson after Kamala Harris comments
- LaBrant Family Faces Backlash for Having Daughter Everleigh Dance to Diddy Song
- Julianne Hough Shares Surprising Reaction to Run-In With Ex Brooks Laich and His New Girlfriend
- UConn, Kansas State among five women's college basketball games to watch this weekend
- Brent Venables says Oklahoma didn't run off QB Dillon Gabriel: 'You can't make a guy stay'
- Ex-officer testifies he disliked his unit’s ‘hostility’ even before Tyre Nichols beating
- Horoscopes Today, September 23, 2024
Recommendation
-
Armie Hammer Says His Mom Gifted Him a Vasectomy for His 38th Birthday
-
'Wild ride': 8th bull that escaped rodeo in Massachusetts caught after thrilling chase
-
Pac-12 might be resurrected, but former power conference is no longer as relevant
-
Shailene Woodley Details Losing Her Hearing While Suffering “Conflation” of Health Issues
-
Fate of Netflix Series America’s Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders Revealed
-
Turn out the blue light: Last full-size Kmart store in continental US to close
-
FAMU postpones upcoming home game against Alabama A&M because of threat of Helene
-
Dangerous chemical leak spurs evacuation order in Ohio town