Democrat introduces bill requiring Ohio Supreme Court justices, court of appeals to appear on nonpartisan ballot

An Ohio Senate Democrat has introduced a new bill to place Ohio Supreme Court justices and Ohio Court of Appeals judges as nonpartisan candidates on ballots, as they did before a 2021 change by Republican lawmakers.

Senate Bill 201, introduced recently by state Sen. Bill DeMora, D-Columbus, would reverse changes made in 2021, when certain judicial races, including justices for the Ohio Supreme Court and appellate court judges, included party affiliations.

When the Senate bill was passed in 2021, the House sponsor of a near-identical bill, state Rep. D.J. Swearingen, R-Huron, called the bill “sorely needed and long overdue” because voting for a judge was “already simply partisan in nature.”

Democrats pushed back against the legislation saying it conflicts with a judge’s duty to impartiality.

DeMora’s bill would include state and district judicial races along with county judicial offices among those on the nonpartisan ballot. Also included in that category are candidates for the Ohio State Board of Education, municipal and township races and local boards of education.

The bill has yet to be assigned to a committee, but after being sent to Senate committee, it will be up for public testimony.

Susan Tebben is an award-winning journalist with a decade of experience covering Ohio news, including courts and crime, Appalachian social issues, government, education, diversity and culture. She has worked for The Newark Advocate, The Glasgow (KY) Daily Times, The Athens Messenger, and WOUB Public Media. She has also had work featured on National Public Radio.