What methods of interpretation should Ohio courts use in constitutional matters and in cases involving disputes over statutory text? Does the Ohio Supreme Court have obligations or restrictions different from those facing federal courts? Are there systemic problems in the Ohio judicial system that the Ohio Supreme Court needs to address? Has the Ohio Supreme Court improperly ignored established precedent or constitutional or statutory requirements in ways that need to be corrected? Can judges really maintain independence if they are elected by voters and must run in partisan primaries? If so, how? What role do lawyers play in building citizen trust and support in the judiciary?
Candidates for the two current vacancies on the Ohio Supreme Court shared their views on how the Ohio Supreme Court should address these and other questions. They also explained how their views are informed and shaped by the Ohio Constitution, the Ohio canons of judicial ethics, and past studies of the administration of justice in Ohio’s courts.

Hon. Craig Baldwin, Fifth District Court of Appeals
Hon. Mary DeGenaro, Associate Justice, Ohio Supreme Court
Hon. Michael Donnelly, Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court
Hon. Melody Stewart, Eighth District Court of Appeals
Moderator: Douglas R. Cole, Partner, Organ Cole LLP