| ► Akron Beacon Journal – 04/26/01 – Court seeking review of visiting judges’ pay |
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Akron Beacon Journal – April 26, 2001 – Court seeking review of visiting judges’ pay
MOYER HITS THE STUMP, ANY SURPRISE HE FAVORS SOMEONE OTHER THAN ALICE RESNICK?
Wednesday, April 26, 2000
Section: EDITORIAL
You'd think Chief Justice Thomas Moyer would be wary of plunging into a political campaign as intense as the race between his colleague, Justice Alice Robie Resnick, and Judge Terrence O'Donnell of the 8th District Court of Appeals in Cleveland. Yes, intense already. For many observers, control of the Ohio Supreme Court hangs in the balance.
Switch Resnick for O'Donnell, the thinking goes, and the high court's view of the school-funding case changes. So, too, its take on reform of the civil-justice system. Nothing is guaranteed, of course. Still, expect the political money to flow.
Moyer has expressed frustration with the image of the court during his 12 years as chief justice, the fisticuffs, the near name-calling, the judicial activism. He knows well the code of judicial ethics states that an incumbent judge should not make speeches "for a political organization or candidate at a political meeting or publicly endorse a candidate for office."
Yet, that is what the chief justice virtually did at a recent Ohio Republican Party event, all but urging the election of O'Donnell.
Moyer confessed that he might have put things differently if he had known that a reporter sat in the audience, David Palmer, a retired Toledo-area businessman, rightly thinks the excuse lame. He has filed a grievance against the chief justice.
The question all of this raises is: Was anyone really surprised? Moyer and Resnick have been disagreeing for years--in public, in written opinions. It figures that Moyer would favor the thinking of O'Donnell, a fellow Republican. Criticize Resnick? He has done so regularly.
The truth is, Ohioans will be lucky if the Moyer episode is the worst of the Resnick-O'Donnell race. Even the chief justice couldn't resist.
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