Candidate for
Judge; Supreme Court; 6 Year Term Starting 1/2/05

In 1992 I was elected to the Supreme Court of Ohio after serving for eighteen years in the Ohio Legislature. I am now nearing the end of my second term as an associate justice at the Court and I face reelecting this November.

I began my legal career as an assistant Ohio Attorney General, then I served as an assistant Crawford County prosecutor. For 25 years I was a partner in a law firm in my hometown of Bucyrus.In my two terms at the Court I have always tried to approach every case on an individual basis, considering each on its merits and particular fact patterns. Even if an overarching judicial philosophy guides me, I am not beholden to an ideology that forces me to bend the outcome of a case to fit my preconceived notions.

I still live in Bucyrus with my wife, Julia. We have three grown children + two daughters and a son + and a growing family with three granddaughters who love to help grandpa with the farm chores.I am grateful to the citizens of Ohio for giving me the opportunity to serve them, and I am ever mindful of the duty and trust they have placed in me.

Bar Association Ratings: Available after September 10th.