League of Women Voters of Ohio News Conference

LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS OF OHIO NEWS CONFERENCE
JUDICIAL VOTER GUIDE

Remarks by

Heather Sowald, President

Ohio State Bar Association

September 13, 2004

Good morning. I am Heather Sowald, president of the Ohio State Bar Association, representing our 28,000 members who share your interest in fair and impartial judicial elections. I am here to join with the League of Women Voters of Ohio and our other partners to help insure that the citizens of Ohio have the information they need to make informed decisions about candidates for the Supreme Court of Ohio. The addition of this new judicial voter guide is an important piece of the information available to Ohioans on the upcoming judicial elections.

The Ohio State Bar Association has been working to eliminate judicial campaign activities that undermine public trust and confidence in the judiciary and are contrary to the ultimate goal of a fair, impartial and independent judiciary.

Over the course of the last two Supreme Court elections, Ohioans were bombarded with advertising that made it difficult to separate fact from fiction. To help combat this problem, the Ohio State Bar Association established an Election Campaign Advertising Monitoring Committee. Under the direction of David Crago, dean of the Ohio Northern Law School, the committee consists of 11 persons including lawyers and non-lawyers -- Republicans, Democrats and Independents. This committee reviews questionable campaign materials and speaks out when a candidate or committee crosses the line – impugning the integrity of the judiciary.

During the last Supreme Court election, the committee faced several difficult matters, and spoke out to inform Ohio voters about their findings. This year, the committee has already been called upon to address materials of a Supreme Court candidate. Our committee will continue to examine campaign materials – from the candidates, their authorized committees, and so-called “independent” committees. We will take a careful look at questionable materials, and we will tell the voters of Ohio when we see a problem. The findings of this committee are available to the public on our website at www.ohiobar.org.

The Ohio State Bar Association’s Commission on Judicial candidates examines and rates candidates for the state’s highest court. The 25-member panel chaired by past-president, Toledo attorney Reginald S. Jackson, Jr., evaluated this year’s candidates according to eight non-political criteria: legal knowledge and ability; professional experience; judicial competence; integrity; diligence; health; personal responsibility; and public/community service. This past Friday, the Commission issued its ratings. This information is also available to the public on our website at www.ohiobar.org. Just click on the “Judicial Elections ‘04” button.

This year, Ohioans will select four justices for the Supreme Court. Our goal is to help provide Ohioans with the information they need to select these justices. We’re all for free speech, along with fair and impartial elections. Where we have a problem is when campaign materials impugn the integrity of the court – and mislead Ohio voters.

The information available through the League of Women Voters in this new judicial voter guide, along with information available from the Ohio State Bar Association, will go a long way toward preparing voters to make informed decisions when they enter the voting booth to select the next justices to this state’s highest court. We are proud to join the League of Women Voters of Ohio and the other presenters here today in this effort.

FOR MORE INFORMATION, contact ken Brown, Director of Public & Media Relations, Ohio State Bar Association, 614/487-4426.