League of Women Voters of Ohio Education Fund
Hamilton County, OH November 2, 2010 Election
	Patrick F. "Pat" Fischer Answers Questions Candidate for Judge; Ohio State Court of Appeals; District 1; Unexpired Term Ending 2/8/13

The questions were prepared by the League of Women Voters of Ohio and asked of all candidates for this office.
Read the answers from all candidates (who have responded).

Questions & Answers

1. What are your Qualifications for Office? (50 word limit)

I am a long-time Partner of Keating Muething & Klekamp and former President of the Cincinnati Bar Association. My training, years of experience representing both plaintiffs and defendants, and ability to understand the law and how it is applied to the facts, gives me the ability to be an impartial judge for all.

2. What plans do you have to address your top three priorities? (100 word limit)

Meet and surpass the qualifications of proper judicial temperament and abilities described in the Cincinnati Bar Association Judicial Poll found at http://www.cincybar.org.

3. How do you define "judicial independence," and how important is it to our judicial system? What measures ensure an independent judiciary? (150 word limit)

Judicial independence is the ability of the judge to make a decision based only upon the facts and the law of the case, and without reference to the parties or the lawyers representing the parties.

As we elect judges, we still must ensure an independent judiciary. Thus to be independent, elected judges must get support from all parts of the community. By having a large number of supporters, including Democrats, Republicans, and Independents, the judge is independent from any one source of support. The fewer the number and breadth of supporters, the less likely and elected judge will be independent. Thus, I have run my campaign to bring as many people to support me as possible. I believe my independence is unquestionable. See also the results of the Cincinnati Bar Association Judicial Poll found at http://www.cincybar.org, and my website: http://www.patfischer.org

4. Would you recuse yourself if a party before you had made a significant judicial campaign expenditure toward your election? Please explain. (150 words)

If it was possible for any one person to make a large donation to my campaign, I would recuse myself in that case. And I believe my supporters would expect that of me, and I would expect that of myself. That said, because there are limits to donations, and I have a large number of supporters, no one supporter could make a significant judicial campaign donation. If it was a significant so-called independent expenditure toward my election, I would also recuse myself, for the same reasons noted above.

5. What do you perceive to be the greatest obstacle to justice in Ohio? (150 words)

We need to do a better job of educating the citizens of the state of Ohio of the importance of the judicial system. People fail to realize how judges affect their lives every day: divorces, zoning issues, adoptions, and a multitude of other issues. Without such education, including the need for multiple civics courses during elementary school for every student in Ohio, the public has lost perspective on how important the courts are to our democracy. And without public support for the court system, our system of justice will be limited.

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Responses to questions asked of each candidate are reproduced as submitted to the League.  Candidates' statements are presented as submitted. Word limits apply for each question. Direct references to opponents are not permitted.

Read the answers from all candidates (who have responded).

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Created from information supplied by the candidate: October 19, 2010 10:11
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