The Plain Dealer: High-stakes Ohio Supreme Court races could influence abortion rights, redistricting in the state

COLUMBUS, Ohio – On Nov. 8, Ohio voters will be asked to vote for three state Supreme Court justices, including selecting a chief justice.

Ohio Supreme Court justices are among the most powerful figures in state government, deciding the constitutionality of laws and how the government may influence people’s lives. Yet many voters skip the judicial part of their ballots because they’re unfamiliar with the candidates.

This year, however, that is expected to change. The Republican-controlled legislature passed a law adding party affiliation after each Supreme Court justice candidate’s name, beginning with the Nov. 8 General Election.

The balance of the court – which currently has four Republicans and three Democrats – hangs in the balance this election. Although judges are guided by the Ohio Code of Judicial Conduct, which urges them to be independent and impartial, numerous decisions in recent years have been split along party lines. …

The courts should be above partisan politics, said Catherine Turcer, executive director of Common Cause Ohio, a good government group. Voters shouldn’t assume that a Republican majority will mean that big business will always win or that a Democratic majority will favor labor unions.

“At the end of the day we want these courts to be independent and impartial and not be caught up in partisan elections,” she said. “And now we have the party labels, so that makes it different.”

Since Brunner and Kennedy are sitting Supreme Court justices, people can make comparisons based on how they ruled in cases, Turcer said.

“There are things that people can compare and contrast,” Turcer said. “It’s incredibly important for all of us to pay attention to the Ohio Supreme court because of voting rights, redistricting and mapmaking and because of the rights for women to make choices.”