Chief Justice Moyer Named to Advisory Committee of National Initiative to Help States Move Away from Judicial Elections
Dec. 21, 2009
Supreme Court of Ohio Chief Justice Thomas J. Moyer has been named to the advisory committee of the O’Connor Judicial Selection Initiative, a newly created national project aimed at assisting state-level efforts to move away from the political election of judges.
On Dec. 10, former U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor announced creation of the initiative, of which she will serve as chairwoman. The initiative is a mechanism to provide information and helpful support to states considering a move away from direct election of judicial officers in favor of some form of merit appointment/voter retention system.
The O’Connor Initiative, to be staffed by a fulltime director, will operate under the aegis of the Institute for Advancement of the American Legal System, a national, non-partisan organization headquartered at the University of Denver and dedicated to improving the process and culture of the civil justice system.
“As we consider to explore reforms in our judicial selection system in Ohio, the O’Connor Initiative will be a valuable resource, and I am grateful to Justice O’Connor for inviting me to participate in her efforts,” Chief Justice Moyer said.
Chief Justice Moyer, who is one of four current or former state supreme court justices named to the 11-member advisory committee, is a long-time advocate of replacing Ohio’s current contested Supreme Court elections with an appointment/retention system that would end the necessity for competing candidates to solicit millions of dollars in campaign contributions from parties whose political and/or financial interests are likely to come before the Court.
The Chief Justice recently co-hosted, along with the Ohio State Bar Association and League of Women Voters of Ohio Education Fund, a successful two-day Forum on Judicial Selection that will be the basis of a report to be issued in early 2010 offering a specific recommendation for reforming the selection process for Ohio Supreme Court Justices.
CONTACT:
Chief Justice Moyer: Chris Davey, 614-387-9257
Institute for the Advancement of the American Legal System: Dallas Jamison, djamison@du.edu