My apologies to Ohio Chief Justice Moyer
Tuesday, July 19, 2005
Mea Culpa:
In my last post, I suggested that Ohio Supreme Court Justice Thomas Moyer would likely appoint a sympathetic Republican judge to hear the "pay-for-play" lawsuit accusing Bob Taft and Ohio's Republican Party leaders of awarding unbid state contracts to businesses and individuals in return for huge campaign contributions. Let's be honest, I did more than suggest it, I said it flat out. The lawsuit was filed in Cuyahoga County by County Commissioner Tim Hagan, the Democratic gubernatorial candidate in 2002. Moyer disqualified all the judges in the County, including three Republicans, saying that Hagan's influence was so great that none of the judges could rule impartially on the case.
I assumed that Moyer would appoint a right-wing Republican judge. but I was wrong. Whether it was conscience; (unlikely), or public pressure to appear non-partisan himself; (more likely), or that he actually read this blog; (fantastical in the extreme), I applaude the Chief Justice for his decision to appoint a retired Democratic judge to hear the case. Kudos!
