MORROW COUNTY- Ohio Supreme Court Justice Pat DeWine stopped by the Morrow County Fair on Tuesday as he campaigned for reelection to the Ohio Supreme Court.
Justice DeWine stopped by Morrow County Sheriff John Hinton’s tent at the fair and spoke with fairgoers about his race for the Ohio Supreme Court as well as State Issue 1, a Constitutional Amendment on the November general election ballot.
“The Ohio Supreme Court frequently decides cases that can drastically change how law enforcement does their job and keeps communities safe,” Justice DeWine said. “Earlier this year, four justices on the Ohio Supreme Court decided that courts in Ohio couldn’t consider public safety or the concerns of crime victims when they set the bail amount for people arrested for violent crimes like rape and murder. I said that case was wrongly decided when it came out and have supported State Issue 1, a Constitutional Amendment that will reverse that decision and restore common sense in Ohio.”
Justice DeWine was referring to the Ohio Supreme Court’s decision in Dubose v. McGuffey. The Ohio Supreme Court’s 4-3 decision in that case slashed the bond for a man charged with murder for shooting a man in the head from $1.5 million to $500,000. Justice DeWine, who voted against the court’s decision, wrote a scathing dissent where he said the decision would leave Ohio communities less safe.
After the decision, Ohio lawmakers placed a Constitutional amendment on the November ballot that will allow voters to decide the issue. If State Issue 1 passes, judges around Ohio will be allowed to consider public safety or the safety of crime victims when deciding the amount of bail for people arrested for rape, murder or other violent crimes. Justice DeWine has advocated for a yes vote on State Issue 1 while his opponent, Judge Marilyn Zayas, has said that the Dubose case was correctly decided.
The election for Supreme Court and State Issue 1 will take place on November 8, 2022.
