Governor Strickland's Panel on Judicial Appointments is Seeking Franklin Cty. Muny Ct. Applications

The Ohio Supreme Court' s website has a short announcement on the make-up of the advisory panel that is advising Governor Strickland on applications for a vacancy in the Franklin County Municipal Court. The panel includes both state-wide members and local members from Franklin County. If you click on the link in this entry's title, you can read the Supreme Court announcement. It will give you a good idea on how this procedure will work.

Governor Strickland Sets Up New Process for Judicial Appointments

Governor Ted Strickland is creating a bi-partisan advisory board for filling judicial vacancies. This board will be supplemented by six members from the community where the judicial vacancy occurs. This process will probably result in most judicial vacancies being filled by Democrats, but at least there will be a vetting process to make sure that the Governor appoints qualified judges. Under Taft, the local Republican Party sent three names to the Governor and Taft appointed a judge from one of those names. Governor Strickland's process will be more transparent. It is just another example of Ted Strickland putting his stamp on the Ohio Governor's office.

Update: Chief Justice Thomas Moyer, a Republican, issued a statement supporting Governor Strickland's action and commending him for taking this step to improve judicial quality in Ohio. You can read the Chief Justice's statement here:
http://www.sconet.state.oh.us/Communications_Office/Press_Releases/eNews/strickland.asp