Ohio state bar chief wants O’Neill to quit Supreme Court immediately

The Columbus Dispatch | Darrel Rowland

Justice William M. O’Neill revealed Friday he is quitting the Ohio Supreme Court to run for governor Jan. 26.

And that made pretty much nobody happy.

A newly disclosed email shows that Chief Justice Maureen O’Connor wanted him gone in late October, when he initially said he was running for governor.

Ohio State Bar Association President Randall Comer said late Friday afternoon that O’Neill must quit now “to fulfill his duty to promote public confidence in the independence, integrity and impartiality of the judiciary. As a declared candidate for governor with a published campaign platform, recusal (agreeing to not hear new cases) is insufficient to remove any appearance of conflict or impropriety.”

Friend Richard Cordray, former Ohio attorney general who is now a competitor for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination, tweeted: “Bill O’Neill is a loose cannon who callously disrespects women, embarrassing our party and our state. There’s no place for that in this race.”

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