Kennedy is the First Nominee in Nearly 15 Years Deemed by Association “Not Suited” for Supreme Court
COLUMBUS, OHIO - Today, the non-partisan Ohio State Bar Association’s (OSBA) Commission on Judicial candidates released a “Not Recommended” rating for Sharon Kennedy’s election to the Ohio State Supreme Court.
The OSBA’s “Not Recommended” rating of Kennedy is the first such evaluation they have given to a nominee to the State Supreme Court in nearly 15 years. In response to the rating, Ohio Democratic Party Chairman Chris Redfern released the following statement:
“Voters today learned the disturbing truth: the Ohio Bar Association declared Kennedy is ‘not recommended’ for the Court, not suited to perform the duties and responsibilities of justice of the State Supreme Court of Ohio. Unfortunately for Kennedy, even her non-partisan professional peers believe she is simply not qualified to serve on the Court.”
“Ohioans deserve a Court that is composed of qualified, competent, knowledgeable justices, like our Democratic candidate, Justice Yvette McGee Brown who earned a ‘Highly Recommended’ rating. Like the rest of Ohio, Justice Yvette McGee Brown’s peers know that every day she works to honor the public’s trust by bringing fairness, honesty and a common sense approach to the Court.“
BACKGROUND
The OSBA evaluates judicial candidates based on eight non-political criteria: legal knowledge and ability, professional competence; judicial temperament; integrity; diligence; health; personal responsibility; and public/community service. According to the Bar Association, candidates who receive favorable evaluation from less than 60 percent of the Commission on Judicial Candidates are rated “Not Recommended” and are not suited to perform the duties and responsibilities of justice of the Supreme Court of Ohio.
A listing of all Ohio State Bar Association judicial ratings for nominees to State Supreme Court for the past 14 years is available here.