ICYMI: Ohio Capital Journal: Ohio Bar Condemns Ad Attacking Democratic State Supreme Court Nominees
October 31, 2022
Columbus, OH — In case you missed it, a number of outlets, including the Ohio Capital Journal, are reporting on the Ohio Bar Association asking the Republican State Leadership Committee to take down a misleading ad pointed at the three Democrats running for the Ohio Supreme Court. In its letter, the Ohio Bar Association asserts that the ad: “grossly oversimplif(ies) their (Democrats’) opinions just to score political points” and “serves to erode public trust and confidence in the judiciary.”
The Ohio Democratic Party is calling on the Republican Justices running for Supreme Court to tell the Republican State Leadership Committee to take the ads down immediately.
“Republican politicians running for Supreme Court are desperate to distract from their terrible records of playing politics with the Court and betraying the people of Ohio. So now their political cronies have taken to running ads that are so misleading, the Ohio Bar Association is weighing in and asking that they be taken down. Republican Justices should condemn these ads immediately and call on their political allies to take these disgusting ads down,” said Matt Keyes, spokesperson for the Ohio Democratic Party.
Read more from the Ohio Capital Journal here and below:
- The Ohio Bar Association is urging the Republican State Leadership Committee to take down a campaign ad criticizing the three Democratic state supreme court nominees. In a letter signed by campaign advertising committee chair Paul Hervey, they argued the ad “serves to erode public trust and confidence in the judiciary.”
- “Ads like these perpetuate what we believe to be widespread misperceptions about the role of judges in our system of government,” Hervey said in the Bar’ Association’s letter to the RSLC
- “While we are all free to disagree with a law or find fault in a judge’s legal reasoning,” he added, “it is misleading and a disservice to voters to grossly oversimplify their opinions just to score political points.”
- Hervey concluded the letter by calling on them discontinue or revise the ad. While he voiced support for the organization to advocate for its chosen candidates, he urged them “to do so without using misleading terms or rhetoric that further damage public trust in the independence, integrity and impartiality of our judicial system.”
- In early September, the Bar sent out a press release regarding its clean campaign pledge. The agreement commits candidates to take “personal responsibility” for the content of their ads and statements they or their backers make during the campaign.
- Brunner, Zayas and Jamison all signed it. Their Republican opponents did not.
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