Election 2002: The Ohio Supreme Court

Thursday, September 19, 2002 at 3:45 PM

Republican contender Maureen O’Connor has filled a variety of positions in justice and government, including magistrate, judge, and Summit County preosecutor. She now wears two hats, as Ohio’s Lieutenant Governor, and as head of the Ohio Department of Public Safety - a department 4,000 strong. She has not been on the bench since 1994, but tells ideastream’s April Baer her adminsitrative experience gives her a unique perspective on the demands of the bench. [Listen]

Judge Tim Black is a Democrat running a second time for a seat on the Ohio Supreme Court. Two years ago, he lost a close race to incumbent Deborah Cook. This time, he’s running against Maureen O’Connor, from whom we heard yesterday. He’s been a judge of the Hamilton county municipal court since 1993. He spoke with ideastream’s April Baer about his campaign Friday, September 13th. [Listen]

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In another hotly-contested race, Justice Evelyn Lundberg Stratton, a republican, is defending her seat on the Ohio Supreme Court against a northeast Ohio challenger. Justice Stratton was appointed to the bench in 1996, and won her first election to the Court in 1998. She was the first woman to serve on Franklin County’s Court of Common Pleas, and has indicated she’d like to serve on day as the first woman chief Justice of the Ohio Supreme Court. Justice Stratton was born in Sotheast Asia and chose to come to Ohio at the age of 18. She talked about the move with ideastream’s April Baer. [Listen]

Justice Stratton’s opponent is Cuyahoga County’s Judge Janet Burnside, from the Court of Common Pleas. She’s spent time much of her career in northeast Ohio, but also has roots in the southern parts of the state. While issues like tort reform and school funding have inspired intensive interest in the race, Judge Burnside says she’s trying not to worry about that. Instead, she wants voters to know about her record and personal history. [Listen]

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