Ohio's Chief Justice Moyer signals he will seek 4th term

09/13/03
Cleveland Plain Dealer

Columbus - Ohio Supreme Court Chief Justice Thomas Moyer gave his first
clear public signal yesterday that he intends to run for a fourth six-year term as the court's leader.

A screening committee for the Ohio Republican Party interviewed Moyer and
incumbent Justices Paul Pfeifer and Terrence O'Donnell.

The terms of Moyer and Pfeifer expire next year. O'Donnell must run to fill the unexpired term of former Justice Deborah Cook, who was appointed to the
federal bench. Gov. Bob Taft chose O'Donnell to replace Cook in May.

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Moyer, who began his stint as chief justice in 1987, stopped short of a formal announcement of his candidacy yesterday.

"I am certainly leaning that way," Moyer said. "I will announce later in the
month."

A fourth seat on the seven-member court will also be up for grabs due to the
retirement of incumbent Democratic Justice Francis Sweeney, who will be 70. Next year's election will feature the highest number of open seats on the court since justices were first elected to the bench in 1852.

The state GOP is likely to recommend the incumbent justices for re-election, said spokesman Jason Mauk.

For Sweeney's seat, the screening committee will interview Judges Kathleen
Sutula of Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court; Diane Grendell of the 11th Ohio District Court of Appeals; Mary DeGenaro of the 7th Ohio District Court of Appeals; Judith Lanzinger of the 6th Ohio District Court of Appeals; Stephen Powell of the 12th Ohio District Court of Appeals; Roger Kline of the 4th Ohio District Court of Appeals; and Sara Lioi of Stark County Common Pleas Court.

Moyer is the second-longest-serving chief justice for Ohio. He is also the
second-longest-serving in the country now, behind David Brock, of the New
Hampshire Supreme Court, said Chris Davey, the Ohio court spokesman.

Ohio's longest-serving chief justice was Carl Weygandt, who was the bench leader from 1933 to 1962.

Should Moyer, 64, be re-elected, he would be ineligible to run for a fifth term.

The Ohio Democratic Party is organizing a screening committee and inviting
candidates to apply, a party official said.

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