Moyer wants appointed justices

At a conference of government reporters and editors today, Chief Justice Thomas J. Moyer said he would like to change the system of electing Supreme Court justices, but has not yet identified a legislative sponsor.

Moyer previously proposed state legislation to increase the length of terms for judges as well as requiring training and certain years of experience. But he has not found a lawmaker willing to draft a bill that to amend the selection process for Supreme Court. Moyer would like the governor to appoint justices to vacancies on the seven-member court. The proposal would require the governor to choose from three candidates selected by a bipartisan committee. After one term, they would have to run in a retention election.

"You can't be a serious candidate for Supreme Court today without raising $1 million,'' Moyer lamented during a session sponsored by the Associated Press.

Moyer said it doesn't make any sense to require justices to raise that kind of money and then say they can't hear the most important cases because of perceived conflicts of interest. Several justices recused themselves earlier this year on cases involving the Bureau of Worker's Compensation, but declined to recuse in a utility company case.

"There's no perfect system for selecting judges,'' Moyer said, noting he may have to seek a statewide ballot initiative to get the proposal before voters.

Separately, Moyer proposes eliminating mayors' courts in which the mayor also serves as a judge. While separation of the executive and judicial roles in 334 local courts seems like a no-brainer to the justice from Bexley, it's not popular among state lawmakers.

"Most of it is politics. The representatives and senators are careful,'' Moyer said.