Ohio Supreme Court

The appointment of the long-time Hamilton County prosecutor to the Ohio Supreme Court might be construed as a retirement job, but Deters is not likely to treat it that way.

"I don’t think, 'Oh well, I'm the first woman chief justice,' until I realize the impact it has on other people," O'Connor said.

The rule amendments, approved by the Ohio Supreme Court, also expand the list of personal characteristics that can't be considered by the bar association.

Deters will finish the term of Justice Sharon Kennedy, which ends in 2024. His appointment leaves a vacancy in the Hamilton County Prosecutor's Office, which will likely be filled by the Hamilton County Republican Party Central Committee.

But Ohio voters already did.

Gov. Mike DeWine says his office is getting calls every day with suggestions of who should fill the empty seat on the Ohio Supreme Court left by Sharon Kennedy after she won her race for chief justice. One of those rumored recommendations is Hamilton County Prosecutor Joe Deters.

On Cincinnati Edition Monday we're joined by a panel of journalists to discuss Ohio politics.

Incumbent Republican justices Pat Fischer and Pat DeWine also won their bids for re-election against Democratic challengers Terri Jamison, of the Tenth District Court of Appeals, and Marilyn Zayas, of the First District Court of Appeals. That means Republicans will continue to have a 4-3 majority on the bench.

A $2 million ad buy from a Republican PAC attacking Democratic candidates for the Ohio Supreme Court has prompted a letter of condemnation from the Ohio State Bar Association calling the ad "misleading." But the Republican State Leadership Committee won't take the ad down.

The races for chief justice and two other seats on the Ohio Supreme Court could have broad implications for the whole state, and local judicial races will also be crucial.