Report: Winning Court Candidates Received More, Smaller Contributions

The two victors in last fall's Ohio Supreme Court races received significantly more small contributions than the campaign losers, according to a report released Monday by Ohio Citizen Action. Justices Evelyn Lundberg Stratton and Maureen O'Connor received four times as many contributions valued at less than $200 than did Judges Tim Black and Janet Burnside, the report says.

OFCC PAC Commentary:
State Senator Kevin Coughlin says recent Supreme Court races, where outside interests have spent millions of dollars trying to get candidates elected, have compromised the integrity of the court.

He has introduced a resolution that would ask Ohio voters (for a third time) to amend the state Constitution to allow the appointment, instead of election, of Ohio Supreme Court justices.

While there certainly is a lot of "big money" involved in these races, this report from Ohio Citizen Action reveals just how much the "little guy" played a role in electing a more conservative court this past November.

We know OFCC PAC supporters played a part in boosting those under-$200 donations for O'Connor and Stratton.

So why does this Republican Senator want to take away your right to vote on Supreme Court Justices?

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