Gavel Grab

An Ohio Supreme Court candidate has denounced the influence of cash in the judicial election process, according to a Toledo Blade article.  Judge Joseph Russo described the perception among Ohio voters that justice is for sale due to contributions made during judicial campaigns.

“I’m not sure which is worse,” Russo said. “If you’re voting with your people because you’re influenced by the money, that’s horrible obviously. But if you have people out there who perceive that they can buy a vote on the court, that to me is just as bad. You have to take all this out of the equation.”

Russo submitted a proposal to the Ohio Judicial Conference that would require judges to recuse themselves from cases involving campaign donors.  The proposal did not make the final draft submitted to justices for approval.

This is not the first time Russo has faced a multi-million dollar election.  “We are absolutely determined to make sure we don’t become a state like Illinois with an $8 million race,” Russo said.  “The last time with my opponent (in 2002), she raised $1.8 million. [The business-backed] Citizens for a Strong Ohio put in $2.2 million, so that made it a $4 million race. It’s not an anomaly. These races have grown and grown.”

A 2002 League of Women Voters study found that 83 percent of Ohio voters believed that cash influences judicial rulings.