Brunner announces bid for Ohio Supreme Court chief justice

Jun. 8—Ohio Supreme Court Justice Jennifer Brunner is running for the chief justice job on the state's high court in 2022, she announced Tuesday.

Justice Brunner was elected to the court in 2020, and was the only Democrat to win statewide in that election cycle.

"With the experience that I have, I think that I can add something to this court for the state of Ohio," she said. "We've been through pretty tough times, and I think this is a time when it's important for me to step up."

Democrats have flipped three Ohio Supreme Court seats since 2018. The court's makeup is four Republicans and three Democrats, leaving Democrats one seat away from the majority.

Justice Brunner is one of just four elected Democrats statewide, including U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown. The court is the only area where Democrats have made gains statewide in recent years. A Democrat hasn't been elected chief justice in more than three decades.

The state Supreme Court ballot is nonpartisan in general elections, but the Ohio Senate in April passed a bill that would add party affiliation in state Supreme Court and appellate court races.

Republican Chief Justice Maureen O'Connor, meanwhile, has pushed unsuccessfully for nonpartisan primary ballots for all judicial races, and has tried to fight the perception the court is politicized.

Justice Brunner said Tuesday the legislature can decide how to handle that, even though she believes the nonpartisan system benefits voters.

"My opinion is just tell me the rules and I'll run, it's fine," she said. "They can do what they want. The legislature, it's their position to determine policy. Quite frankly, I think that the voters have benefitted from not having to view justices or judges in terms of are they a Republican or are they a Democrat."

Justice Brunner said that as chief justice she would seek to increase the court's caseload and prioritize racial fairness and equity in the justice system.

Before joining the state Supreme Court, Justice Brunner was a judge at the 10th District Court of Appeals and served as Ohio's first female secretary of state between 2007 and 2011.

Age limits prevent Justice O'Connor, a Republican, from running again. As the court's top administrator for the past decade, Justice O'Connor focused on criminal justice reform, including bail reform and creating a criminal sentencing database.

Justice Brunner, 64, can only run for one more term since judges can't seek a spot on the court if they're older than 70.

Republican Justices Pat DeWine and Sharon Kennedy are also expected to launch bids for the court's top slot, competing in a primary to challenge Justice Brunner or another Democrat.

The Ohio Republican Party said Justice Brunner is too new to the court to become chief justice.

"It is hard to fathom why a justice who was elected just over six months ago and has not yet written a majority opinion would ask to be promoted to chief justice," Ohio Republican Party Chairman Bob Paduchik said in a statement.