ICYMI: Enquirer Editorial Slams Deters, GOP Supreme Court: “The fact this decision was made along party lines speaks for itself”
January 24, 2024
Columbus, OH – In case you missed it, the Cincinnati Enquirer editorial board slammed a ruling by Joe Deters and his fellow Republicans on the Supreme Court for putting politics over public accountability. Along party lines, Deters and the Republican-led Court ruled that taxpayers who helped fund the Governor’s trip to the Super Bowl don’t have the right to know how much they paid for the trip. The Governor appointed Deters to the Supreme Court after years of close political connections between the two families, despite Deters lack of judicial experience.
“Enquirer Executive Editor Beryl Love said it best: ‘The fact this decision was made along party lines speaks for itself.’ Four Republicans signed onto the majority opinion, while three Democrats signed onto the dissent, signaling to taxpayers that this case was less about their right to know and more about protecting one of its own,” writes the Enquirer editorial board.
“Ohioans deserve better than the political backscratching happening on the Ohio Supreme Court. When the Governor appointed Deters after years of close political ties, questions were rightfully raised about Deters’ ability to be impartial. It’s clear those questions have been answered: Deters will always put politics over people,” said Matt Keyes, spokesperson for the Ohio Democratic Party.
Read more from the Enquirer HERE and below:
- Win some, lose some. This one we lost. But the biggest losers are Ohio taxpayers.
- In a 4-3 decision, the Ohio Supreme Court ruled the cost to taxpayers of sending a security detail to the Super Bowl with Gov. Mike DeWine is not a public record. DeWine took 19 family members to Super Bowl 56 between the Cincinnati Bengals and Los Angeles Rams at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif. on Sunday Feb. 13, 2022. The Ohio State Highway Patrol sent troopers to protect the governor.
- We simply asked for a grand total of what was spent on the taxpayer-funded security detail for the duration of the trip. The notion that releasing that dollar figure could pose a danger to DeWine or sabotage future outings is absurd and an insult to every taxpayer in the state.
- “This decision means a governor can go on a pleasure trip and spend a lot of taxpayer dollars – taxpayers paid for the security detail, lodging, transportation and food required for this period he was at the Super Bowl – and taxpayers just don’t have any idea how much that cost,” said Jack Greiner, a partner at Faruki PLL law firm in Cincinnati who represents Enquirer Media in First Amendment and media issues. “Was it a good thing he went or a bad thing he went? We really don’t know because we don’t have the information.”
- Enquirer Executive Editor Beryl Love said it best: “The fact this decision was made along party lines speaks for itself.” Four Republicans signed onto the majority opinion, while three Democrats signed onto the dissent, signaling to taxpayers that this case was less about their right to know and more about protecting one of its own.
- How releasing the cost of security for the governor’s trip to Super Bowl 56 could pose a danger now or down the road is beyond us. But that information is valuable to taxpayers who want to make certain their elected leaders are being good stewards of their money.
- Allowing the government to operate in secrecy is the real danger.
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