Litigation

Two OH Ethics Complaints Dismissed

By Peter Hardin

Intense politicking for the Ohio Supreme Court has fueled a number of ethics complaints against candidates (see Gavel Grab). But now a state disciplinary panel has dismissed two of the complaints, both brought by Ohio Democrats.

The panel dismissed a complaint that Justice Maureen O’Connor (photo at left), seeking the position of chief justice, endorsed fellow Justice Judith Lanzinger (photo at right), according to a Toledo Blade article.

Earlier a different panel threw out a similar complaint accusing Justice Lanzinger of violating the rule against political endorsements by judges.

In their remarks that were at issue, the justices stopped short of making formal endorsements, but they spoke in a supportive fashion of each other, the newspaper said.

Justice O’Connor is running against Chief Justice Eric Brown, a Democrat. He was accused by the Ohio GOP of personally soliciting money for his campaign, in alleged violation of a judicial rule prohibiting such conduct. That complaint still is pending.

Full post as published by The Gavel on September 07, 2010 (boomark / email).