This story was originally published by Signal Statewide. Sign up for free newsletters at SignalOhio.org/StateSignals. Statewide is a media partner of the Toledo Free Press.
By Andrew Tobias | Signal Statewide
One of the Republican justices on the Ohio Supreme Court is running to defeat one of his colleagues and the state’s lone remaining statewide elected Democrat.
Justice Pat Fisher confirmed Wednesday that he’s running for Justice Jennifer Brunner’s seat next year.
“Ohioans deserve a Justice who will fight for conservative values, respect the Constitution and not legislate from the bench,” he said in a statement first released to Signal. “I have a record of this and look forward to once again earning the support of the Ohio Republican Party and all Ohioans.”
Fisher, 67, currently occupies a term that expires in 2028. But he’ll be too old by then to run for reelection under Ohio’s constitutional age limits for judges. Winning next year will allow him to remain on the court for an extra four years. Fisher was first elected to the Supreme Court in November 2016. Word about Fisher’s interest in the seat got out earlier this year not long after he informed Brunner of his plans.
Brunner seat draws plenty of Republican interest
Fisher also announced his plans to seek the endorsement of the Ohio Republican Party. The state party endorsement typically carries extra weight in judicial races since voters often know very little about the candidates, who are limited by judicial ethics rules in what they can say.
Fisher is joining a crowded field of candidates who already have started campaigning: Rocky River Municipal Court Judge Joseph Burke, Fifth District Court of Appeals Judge Andrew King, Second District Court of Appeals Judge Ron Lewis and ex-Franklin County Common Pleas Judge Colleen O’Donnell.
None of the current justices or candidates are from Northwest Ohio.
The volume of candidates show Republicans’ confidence that Brunner’s seat could be up for the taking. Democrats hit a modern high-water mark when Brunner was elected in 2020, giving the party three of the court’s seven seats. But since Republican state lawmakers changed state election rules to add party labels to the ballot for Supreme Court candidates in 2021, Republicans have won every Supreme Court race by an average of 11 percentage points.
More about the Ohio Supreme Court
Today, Republicans hold six of the Ohio Supreme Court’s seven seats. The court is the state’s highest appeals court, issuing the final word on criminal and civil cases when lower courts disagree. Many of these cases deal with charged political issues, including interpreting the abortion-rights amendment voters added to the state constitution in 2023. Some of them are more mundane and deal with business liability issues, which explains why business interests and trial lawyers often fund candidates of their choice.
The Supreme Court also is the main court to handle certain issues, including elections related cases like redistricting challenges and disputes over state ballot issues.
Ohio’s constitution sets what amounts to a mandatory retirement age for judges. Candidates who will be older than 70 when their term begins aren’t eligible to run.
At judges’ request, state lawmakers placed a measure on the ballot in 2011 that would raise the age limit to 75. Voters defeated it 62 to 38 percent.
Signal Statewide is a nonprofit news organization covering government, education, health, economy and public safety.
