Justice Judi French beats Judge John O'Donnell to retain her seat on the Ohio Supreme Court, Justice Sharon Kennedy wins too, French campaigned on upholding convictions of men convicted of raping and murdering children, O'Donnell ran into trouble for theft of homes via illegal foreclosures, accusations of bias on the bench, and breaking a pledge to the Ohio Supreme Court not to go negative
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| Ohio Supreme Court Justice Judi French |
By Kathy Wray Coleman, editor-in-chief, Cleveland Urban News. Com and The Cleveland Urban News.Com Blog, Ohio's Most Read Online Black Newspaper and Newspaper Blog Email:editor@clevelandurbannews.com, Tel: (216) 659-0473). Kathy Wray Coleman is a community activist and 21-year investigative journalist who trained for 17 years under five different editors at the Call and Post Newspaper, Ohio's most prominent Black print press. (www.clevelandurbannews.com) / (www.kathywraycolemanonlinenewsblog.com)
According to an investigation by the Cleveland Plain Dealer Newspaper, Ohio's largest newspaper, O'Donnell is among the top two judges of the 34-member largely White and largely Democratic Cuyahoga County General Division Common Pleas Court, along with DUI getting county judge Brian Corrigan, whom rarely, if at all, dismiss criminal cases before a jury verdict or bench decision for a lack of evidence. CLICK HERE TO READ THE CLEVELAND PLAIN DEALER NEWSPAPER ARTICLE AT CLEVELAND.COM ON ITS INVESTIGATION OF JUDGES LIKE O'DONNELL AND CORRIGAN WHO REFUSE TO DISMISS CRIMINAL CASES FOR AN ALLEGED LACK OF EVIDENCE WHEN MOST OF THE DEFENDANTS ARE BLACK AND WHEN OTHERS JUDGES SEE FIT TO DISMISS CASES OF A SIMILAR NATURE
French was also a former chief counsel for former Ohio Attorney General Betty Montgomery. As the then chief counsel for the state of Ohio under Taft she argued the state's case before the United States Supreme Court in Whitman v. American Trucking Associations, Inc. (2001), and Zelman v. Simmons-Harris (2002), a landmark case, where the court, 5-4, upheld the constitutionality of a controversial school voucher system in Cleveland, Ohio.
CLEVELAND, Ohio- Ohio Supreme Court Justice Judith French won the support of voters on Tuesday to retain her seat for a six-year term over Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas Judge John P. O'Donnell, who initially had a lead in the polls but ran into trouble when he was accused of theft of homes as a judge via illegal Cuyahoga County foreclosures, bias in a controversial Cleveland police brutality criminal case that left two unarmed Blacks dead, and of breaking a campaign pledge made with the Ohio Supreme Court not to go negative. CLICK HERE TO READ THE ARTICLE OF JUDGE JOHN O'DONNELL'S CORRUPTION AND DOCUMENTED THEFT OF HOMES AT CLEVELAND URBAN NEWS.COM
French won with 56 percent of the vote to O'Donnell's 46 percent.
Though the bias claim against O'Donnell was denied by the Ohio Supreme Court, the damage had
been done, and data show that affidavits of bias of Ohio trial court judges are routinely denied, regardless of the merits.
The seven-member Ohio Supreme Court is all White and has six Republicans, including Chief Justice Maureen O'Connor, and one Democrat, Justice William O'Neil.
The high court already has an O'Donnell on it, Justice Terrence O'Donnell, who is no relation to Judge John O'Donnell, a Democrat.
There were two Ohio Supreme Court races at issue, though Justice Sharon Kennedy, who ousted Evette McGee Brown, the first Black female justice and an appointee of then Democratic Gov Ted Strickland, who lost also four years ago to Gov Kasich, a Republican, soundly defeated her opponent.
Also a Republican like French, Kennedy was up against state Rep. Tom Letson, a Warren Democrat.
French, of suburban Columbus, also campaigned on a record of upholding the death penalty of men convicted of raping and murdering women and children.
Kasich, who Tuesday won reelection over Cuyahoga County Executive Ed FitzGerald, appointed French to court in 2013 to replace Evelyn Lundburg Stratton, who had resigned.
French won with 56 percent of the vote to O'Donnell's 46 percent.
Though the bias claim against O'Donnell was denied by the Ohio Supreme Court, the damage had
been done, and data show that affidavits of bias of Ohio trial court judges are routinely denied, regardless of the merits.
The seven-member Ohio Supreme Court is all White and has six Republicans, including Chief Justice Maureen O'Connor, and one Democrat, Justice William O'Neil.
The high court already has an O'Donnell on it, Justice Terrence O'Donnell, who is no relation to Judge John O'Donnell, a Democrat.
There were two Ohio Supreme Court races at issue, though Justice Sharon Kennedy, who ousted Evette McGee Brown, the first Black female justice and an appointee of then Democratic Gov Ted Strickland, who lost also four years ago to Gov Kasich, a Republican, soundly defeated her opponent.
Also a Republican like French, Kennedy was up against state Rep. Tom Letson, a Warren Democrat.
French, of suburban Columbus, also campaigned on a record of upholding the death penalty of men convicted of raping and murdering women and children.
Kasich, who Tuesday won reelection over Cuyahoga County Executive Ed FitzGerald, appointed French to court in 2013 to replace Evelyn Lundburg Stratton, who had resigned.
French, 52, wrote the unanimous Supreme Court decision issued last month that forced the largely Democratic Maple Heights City Council to place the issue of city traffic cameras before voters in November after residents collected the necessary signatures for certification by the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections and city council then ignored them. Maple Heights is a largely Black small suburb of Cleveland
According to an investigation by the Cleveland Plain Dealer Newspaper, Ohio's largest newspaper, O'Donnell is among the top two judges of the 34-member largely White and largely Democratic Cuyahoga County General Division Common Pleas Court, along with DUI getting county judge Brian Corrigan, whom rarely, if at all, dismiss criminal cases before a jury verdict or bench decision for a lack of evidence. CLICK HERE TO READ THE CLEVELAND PLAIN DEALER NEWSPAPER ARTICLE AT CLEVELAND.COM ON ITS INVESTIGATION OF JUDGES LIKE O'DONNELL AND CORRIGAN WHO REFUSE TO DISMISS CRIMINAL CASES FOR AN ALLEGED LACK OF EVIDENCE WHEN MOST OF THE DEFENDANTS ARE BLACK AND WHEN OTHERS JUDGES SEE FIT TO DISMISS CASES OF A SIMILAR NATURE
French grew up in the small town of Sebring in Mahoning, County. She earned a bachelor's degree in political science, a master's degree in history, and a law degree, all from the Ohio State University. From 2002 to 2004 she was the chief legal counsel to then Gov. Bob Taft. She was a judge on the Ohio Tenth District Court of Appeals in Columbus before her appointment last year to the state's highest court.
French was also a former chief counsel for former Ohio Attorney General Betty Montgomery. As the then chief counsel for the state of Ohio under Taft she argued the state's case before the United States Supreme Court in Whitman v. American Trucking Associations, Inc. (2001), and Zelman v. Simmons-Harris (2002), a landmark case, where the court, 5-4, upheld the constitutionality of a controversial school voucher system in Cleveland, Ohio.
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