by Marc Kovac
Capital Bureau Chief
Columbus -- A central Ohio judge has announced his candidacy for chief justice of the Ohio Supreme Court, taking on Republican Maureen O'Connor.
Judge Eric Brown, currently serving in Franklin County Common Pleas Court, has the backing of Democratic Gov. Ted Strickland and Ohio Democratic Party Chairman Chris Redfern.
"Regular, hard-working Ohioans deserve a voice at the helm of the Ohio Supreme Court, and I will be that voice," he said during a press conference in Columbus Feb. 2.
He added later, "Throughout my career of more than 30 years of practicing law and serving the public, I've developed a keen understanding of how law and courts impact the everyday lives of Ohioans."
All seven current Supreme Court justices are Republicans, including O'Connor, who received more votes in the November 2008 election than any other candidate on the ballot, including President Barack Obama.
But Strickland said he personally asked Brown to run for chief justice to help bring balance to the court.
"I know him well enough to know that he is dedicated to the constitution, to the rule of law and to justice," Strickland said. "Judge Brown will bring impartiality to the court ... I believe justice is best achieved when the makeup of the judiciary is balanced."
Brown has served in the Franklin County court's probate division for more than a year and was part of the general division for about four years prior. He was an assistant attorney general from 1992-2002 and led that office's tobacco lawsuit efforts, including work on the $10 billion-plus tobacco settlement.
Brown and his wife, Marilyn, a Franklin County commissioner who had a brief run last year for Secretary of State, have two children and two grandchildren.
Brown is the second Democrat running for Supreme Court; 11th District Court of Appeals Judge Mary Jane Trapp is seeking the seat currently held by Justice Judith Ann Lanzinger.
Trapp also has the backing of Strickland and Redfern.
Both Brown and Trapp will run as Democrats in the primary. However, judicial races become strictly nonpartisan affairs thereafter, with no party labels used on the ballot.
Marc Kovac is the Dix Newspapers Statehouse Bureau chief. E-mail him at mkovac@dixcom.com or on Twitter at OhioCapitalBlog. His Capital Blog can be found online at blogs.dixcdn.com/capitalblog/.