Ohio Democratic Party

03/25/2024 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 03/25/2024 11:26

Ohio Democratic Party Submits Public Records Request Seeking Answers on the Political Gamesmanship Surrounding Joe Deters’ Appointment to the Supreme Court

Ohio Democratic Party Submits Public Records Request Seeking Answers on the Political Gamesmanship Surrounding Joe Deters' Appointment to the Supreme Court

March 25, 2024

Columbus, OH - Today, the Ohio Democratic Party submitted a public records request to the DeWine Administration seeking to clarify reports that Justice Joe Deters made a political deal to run against a sitting Democrat in order to secure his appointment to the Ohio Supreme Court.

Deters, who never served as a judge prior to his appointment to the Court, is a close political and personal ally of the DeWine family. The public records request seeks any and all records from the Governor's office pertaining to Deters' appointment.

  • Read the public records request HERE

"Joe Deters' appointment to the Ohio Supreme Court never passed the smell test, and these latest revelations reek of dirty politics. Ohioans deserve to know if Deters is only sitting on the Supreme Court because Republicans are playing political games with the state's highest court," said Matt Keyes, spokesperson for the Ohio Democratic Party.

Since his appointment to the Court, Deters has ruled on a number of cases that would be helpful to DeWine. Earlier this year, Deters ruled that taxpayers don't deserve to know how much taxpayer money DeWine spent on his trip to the Super Bowl in 2022.

When Deters was first appointed to the Court, the Cleveland.com editorial board wrote that he was a 'mistaken choice' for the Ohio Supreme Court. The editorial board pointed out that Deters has 'zero judicial experience,' that Deters enjoys a close, personal relationship with the Republican who appointed him and that there are 'many conflicts and questions about Deters' qualifications and past service.'

Deters has also faced criticism for refusing to recuse himself from a case his office oversaw when he served as Hamilton County Prosecutor. Time and again, Deters has demonstrated to Ohioans that he's putting his own political interests over theirs.

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