Maureen O'Connor

Maureen O'Connor
Current Court Information:
Ohio Supreme Court
Title:	Chief Justice
Service:
Active:	2002-2016
Past position:	Lieutenant Governor of Ohio
Past term:	1998-2002
Personal History
Party:	Republican
Undergraduate:	Seton Hill College, 1973
Law School:	Cleveland-Marshall College of Law, 1980

Maureen O'Connor is the chief justice of the Ohio Supreme Court; she assumed the position in January 2011. She was first elected to the court in November of 2002 and was elected as chief justice in 2010. Her current term expires in 2016.

Education

O'Connor received her B.A. in 1973 from Seton Hill College and her J.D. in 1980 from Cleveland-Marshall College of Law.

Legal career

After graduating from law school, O'Connor practiced law for four years. In 1985, she was appointed Magistrate to the Summit County Probate Court. She served in this capacity until joining the Summit County Court of Common Pleas in 1993. O'Connor was the prosecuting attorney for Summit County from 1995 to 1999. In 1998 she was elected Lieutenant Governor, a position she held until her election to the Ohio Supreme Court in 2002.

Awards and associations

• MADD Law Enforcement Award, Summit County, Ohio, 1997
• Cleveland State University Distinguished Alumnae Award for Civic Achievement, 1997
• On March 29, 2011 she was named to the Women's Bar Foundation Leadership Institute

Proposal for strengthening judicial elections

On May 26, 2013, O'Connor contributed an op-ed piece to the Columbus Dispatch introducing a proposal titled, "Ohio Courts 2013: A Proposal for Strengthening Judicial Elections". This proposal was submitted in hopes of encouraging the public to get involved in judicial reform. Issues that O'Connor presented for consideration:

• Should Ohio change the law so judicial races are no longer listed at the end of the ballot?
• Should all judicial elections be held in odd-numbered years?
• Should Ohio centralize and expand its civic-education programming and institute a judicial voter guide?
• Should Ohio eliminate party affiliation on the ballot in judicial primaries?
• Should Ohio join the other states that have a formal, nonpartisan system for recommending nominees to the governor to fill judicial vacancies?
• Should appointments to the Ohio Supreme Court require the advice and consent of the Ohio Senate?
• Should Ohio increase the basic qualifications for serving as a judge?
• Should Ohio increase the length of judges’ terms?

O'Connor's proposal can be found at: http://ohiocourts2013.org/.

See also: Akron Legal News, "It’s time to work together to strengthen judicial elections", May 30, 2013

Plan to reduce judiciary budget

During a news conference on July 21, O'Connor outlined a plan to help reduce the cost of running the judiciary in Ohio, focusing on the chief justice's role as head of the state's courts. Ways to cut costs include: cuts to the Ohio Courts Network, the state law library and implementing a two year salary freeze for court personnel.

Elections

2010 election

Main article: Ohio judicial elections, 2010

O'Connor was elected Chief Justice of the Ohio Supreme Court, becoming the first woman to ever serve as Chief Justice in Ohio history. She defeated Eric Brown in the general election, winning 67.8% of the vote.

2008 election

Justice Connor was up for re-election 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%. For more information, see the Ohio Supreme Court elections article.

2002 election

In 2002, O'Connor defeated opponent Timothy S. Black, winning 57.25% of the vote. O’Connor's campaign raised $1,777,617. Black's campaign raised $1,323,136.

See also

• News: Ohio's Chief Justice wins award, April 12, 2012

External links

• Chief justice seeks changes in how Ohio appoints, elects judges 4/3/11
• Ohio Supreme Court, Justice Maureen O'Connor
• Campaign for Chief Justice website
• Ohio Judicial Center, Maureen O'Connor
• Project Vote Smart, Justice Maureen O'Connor (OH)
• The Columbus Dispatch, The Daily Briefing: "O'Connor: Strip partisan labels from court," September 13, 2010
• The Vindy, "Justice O'Connor stresses diversity", March 26, 2010
• The Plain Dealer, "Ohio Supreme Court reverses Brunner on Summit appointment", June 16, 2008
• Cuyahoga Republican Party, Spring 2008 Issue
• The Supreme Court of Ohio & the Ohio Judicial System, Press Release: "Chief Justice Supports State Issue 1," September 28, 2011
• The Plain Dealer, "Ohio Chief Justice Maureen O'Connor says party labels have no place in judicial elections", May 9, 2013

References