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Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Courts - "Amendment would raise age limit for Ohio judges to 75"
Jim Siegel reports today in the Columbus Dispatch:
Examining how old is too old to serve on the bench in Ohio, the House passed a proposed constitutional amendment yesterday that would allow judges to run for election through age 75, up from the current limit of 70.Though opponents argued the bill was unnecessary, the House voted 70-26 to send the bill to the Senate. If approved there, the resolution would go to the November statewide ballot. * * *
The three oldest justices on the Ohio Supreme Court are 65 - Justices Paul E. Pfeifer, Terrence O'Donnell and Judith Ann Lanzinger. Under the current age limit, neither Pfeifer nor Lanzinger could run for another six-year term, because each would turn 70 before their current term is up at the end of 2016.
Of the 721 judges statewide, 37 percent are age 60 or older, according to the Ohio Supreme Court. The average age is 57.
The Ohio Prosecuting Attorneys Association is opposed to increasing the age limit, arguing it has improved judicial quality in Ohio. Executive Director John Murphy said just because life expectancy has increased, that does not mean the mental acuity of a 75-year-old person has improved.
Posted by Marcia Oddi on April 13, 2011 10:21 AM
Posted to Courts in general