► Columbus Dispatch - 04/29/05 - 2 supreme court justices dodge the watchdog's bite Print E-mail

Columbus Dispatch

 

2 Supreme Court justices dodge the watchdog’s bite
Friday, April 29, 2005
Jon Craig
 

Judicial watchdog David Palmer lost one complaint, withdrew a second and is awaiting a decision from the Ohio Elections Commission on a third.

After a three-hour review of his campaign-finance complaints against three state Supreme Court justices yesterday, the elections commission said it will consider a request from three Columbus attorneys that Palmer be sanctioned and ordered to pay their legal fees and costs for filing "frivolous claims." A decision is expected May 26.

Meanwhile, two plainclothes officers assigned by the State Highway Patrol stood by in case of problems. Except for a brief squabble between Palmer and commission member Harvey Shapiro and out-of-order comments from Palmer’s daughter, there were none.

Lt. Rick Zwayer, a patrol spokesman, said "There had been complaints against Mr. Palmer and his activities," Zwayer said.

Zwayer also said the patrol was there to make sure "somebody does not get out of hand or cause a problem" and that if a more serious problem arose elsewhere, the troopers could have been called away from the commission’s office at the Wyandotte Building.

The commission gave Palmer additional time to respond to a motion to dismiss his complaint against Chief Justice Thomas J. Moyer. Palmer said Moyer improperly solicited and accepted campaign contributions from visiting judges that he appointed. Moyer’s attorney said that visiting judges are not state employees, so their campaign contributions are legal.

"To suggest judges are not state employees is specious at best," Palmer said, noting they are paid with Ohio taxpayer money and eligible for public employee retirement system benefits. "If they are not state employees, maybe they’d be kind enough to return the $50 million they received since 1987."

Palmer withdrew a complaint against Justice Alice Robie Resnick after hearing details about payments her campaign made for professional membership dues.

Finally, the commission found no violation by Justice Terrence O’Donnell when he spent more than $14,000 in campaign money to successfully defend himself against an earlier complaint by Palmer.

 

 

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