Supremes Agree to Hear Hamilton Co. CCW Case

Ohio's Supreme Court, which has become known in recent years for 4-3 split-decisions which effectively legislate from the bench, has agreed to hear the Hamilton County CCW case, of which Ohioans for Concealed Carry is a part. Read about the Court's announcement in the Dispatch.

Commentary by Chad D. Baus:

Because the court has become so well known for deciding along ideological lines (four liberal vs. three conservative), especially on controversial issues, precedent may suggest that the Court could overturn the unanimous ruling from the First District Court of Appeals and Common Pleas Justice Robert Ruehlman.

Further fueling that suspicion was the Court's announcement that they would allow Handgun Inc.'s attorneys to argue the City's case before the Court, despite the fact that these attorneys are not legally allowed to practice law in the State of Ohio.

We urge those of you following this lawsuit to realize the merits of the case have not been argued before the court yet. All four judges that have heard this case have remarked that the facts are substantially in our favor. One would hope that this court would not be able to ignore those facts once presented.

We are still behind efforts to see HB274 passed into law before the Ohio General Assembly goes into recess. A final Supreme Court ruling could take as long as mid- to late-2003. In the mean-time, do your part to elect conservatives to the Court, and ensure that future rulings be decided based on existing Constitutional laws, rather than creating new ones.