Candidate for
Justice; Ohio State Supreme Court; 6 Year Term Starting 1/2/09

My primary objective is to continue to fairly and impartially decide the cases that come before me, as I have done for the past 12 years. In my role as Supreme Court Justice, I review and cast my vote in thousands of cases and draft hundreds of legal opinions.

In addition to my high volume of court work, I also make time to work on court reforms and to serve on various boards in the community. For example, in 2001, I founded the Supreme Court Advisory Committee on Mental Illness and the Courts, which is comprised of mental health, law enforcement, and criminal justice professionals, among other agencies and groups, who are dedicated to mental health initiatives in the court system.

Aside from successfully advocating collaboration on the state level, I have advocated on the national level. In 2004, the Council of State Governments (CSG) and the Technical Assistance and Policy Analysis Center for Jail Diversion (TAPA) named me as co-chair of the Judges' Criminal Justice/Mental Health Leadership Initiative (JLI), a caucus of judges helping judges lead collaborative, community-based efforts to improve outcomes for individuals with mental illness in the criminal justice system. In addition, I co-chair the Returning Home Advisory Commission, which assists with prisoner re-entry to reduce recidivism and its cost to society. Further, I am a member of the national board of the Corporation for Supportive Housing, which seeks to find suitable housing for persons with mental illness.

I have also been at the forefront of both state and national efforts to reduce the length of time that it takes to place adoptive children in permanent homes. As a leader in adoption reform in Ohio, I have authored amendments to the appellate rules and to the Ohio Supreme Court's Rules of Practice that have streamlined the appeals process both for adoptions and cases involving the termination of parental rights. Shortening the time-line in these sensitive cases has substantially improved the process and provided the model for other state courts.

At the request of the National Center for State Courts, I led a nationwide effort to develop and enact appellate rules designed to shorten the appeal process in each state. As a dedicated member of the Board of Trustees of the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption, I continue to strive for improvements in the adoption process.

I will continue to strive to be a court where parties receive fair and equal treatment. I also believe that the court should continue to lead in reforms that improve the access, efficiency, and dispensation of justice in adoption, drug courts, mental health dockets, and other areas. In addition, I believe we should continue to use technology to improve the judicial system and give guidance to lower courts on court security improvements.