Retired Ohio Supreme Court justices are stepping back into the spotlight this week, joining a national effort to defend judicial independence and push back against what they see as creeping partisanship on the bench. Retired Chief Justice Maureen O’Connor and former Justice Michael Donnelly were among the Ohio jurists who joined a traveling delegation of retired judges and civic leaders that held events in Columbus and Cleveland.
Justice in Motion Stops in Cleveland
The "Justice in Motion" tour, organized by Democracy Rising Collaborative and Keep Our Republic, stopped in Cleveland on July 9 for a press conference outside the Carl B. Stokes United States Courthouse, according to the Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association. The caravan also held events in Columbus and Wooster earlier in the week as judges tried to explain their role to everyday voters, the Associated Press reported.
Lawmakers Press for Anti-Endorsement Rule
Back at the Statehouse, lawmakers and former justices urged a return to a long-standing rule that barred judges from publicly endorsing political candidates through House Concurrent Resolution 43, according to The Statehouse News Bureau. Former Chief Justice Eric Brown and Michael Donnelly warned that public endorsements and party labels erode the public’s trust in the courts. "My allegiance was to the law," Donnelly told the bureau, arguing that judges should not look like just another set of partisan players. Rep. Eric Synenberg framed HCR 43 as a nudge to the high court rather than an attempt to override separation-of-powers limits.
Why They Are Sounding the Alarm
Critics point to a 2021 change that put party labels on general-election ballots for Ohio Supreme Court and appeals-court races, a shift that some former justices say makes judicial contests look like ordinary partisan fights, according to WOSU Public Media. That change and a wave of high-profile political attacks on judges have spurred retired jurists to hit the road to explain how courts work and to push back on misinformation, organizers told the Associated Press. "The lifeblood of the judiciary is public confidence," former Justice Michael Donnelly told the AP, adding that once that trust erodes, it is very hard to restore.
Where the Fight Goes From Here
Some retired judges have aligned with national groups and local coalitions, with Maureen O’Connor and others involved in efforts such as Ohioans for the Rule of Law and allied alliances to educate voters and pressure institutions, as covered by Ideastream Public Media. Crain's Cleveland, which first highlighted the local push, notes the involvement of former Ohio justices in the broader nonpartisan campaign to restore traditional norms on the bench, including restraint on overt political endorsements by judges.
What This Means for Voters
Organizers say the aim is not to pick winners but to give voters a clearer sense of how judges should operate and why impartiality matters, according to Justice in Motion. Local leaders and former justices say that effort to explain the role of courts will continue as lawmakers and the high court consider procedural fixes and clarifications ahead of the fall election season.
