For Immediate Release:
August 2, 2004

Contact Catherine Turcer (614) 263-4111


 Contributors attempt to pick the referees

 Full text study, 131 KB .doc; full database, 1.86 MB xls.

COLUMBUS -- "Our study shows that Supreme Court contributors attempt to pick the referees," according to Ohio Citizen Action's Catherine Turcer. Her remarks came as she released a new study examining contributions to candidates for Chief Justice and Justice of the Ohio Supreme Court from November 2, 2003 to April 9, 2004. "There is a stark difference between the source and type of the contributions to opposing candidates. These contributions reflect the kind of decisions that that contributors want, rather than an interest in impartiality."

The top three organizational contributors mirror the over all contributing patterns. The top organizational contributor, American Financial Group ($39,200) is a financial and insurance provider; Porter Wright Morris & Arthur ($36,550), is a corporate law firm; and Weisman Kennedy & Berris ($27,300) is a personal injury law firm. Eight of the top ten organizational contributors are law firms. Of those law firms, five of them are personal injury firms.

The Democratic candidates and the uncontested candidate each received at least 37% their contributions from personal injury attorneys from November 2, 2003 to April 9, 2004. Three of these candidates received more than half of their money from personal injury attorneys: Republican incumbent Paul Pfeifer received 75%, Democratic Primary Loser W. Scott Gwin received 60% and Chief Justice candidate C. Ellen Connally received 57%. William O’Neill received 44% and Nancy Fuerst 37%. Republican candidates Chief Justice Thomas Moyer and Judith Lanzinger both received 2% or less of their contributions from personal injury attorneys, and Justice Terrence O’Donnell only received 0.1%.

Insurance industry Political Action Committees (PACs) gave $91,400 to Republican candidates from November 2, 2003- April 9, 2004. These PACs chose not to make any contributions to the Democratic candidates or to Pfeiffer, who does not face Democratic opposition in his bid for re-election.

The study also found that --

  • The average individual contribution to candidates for the Chief Justice and Justice of the Ohio Supreme Court during this period was $409.98. The average individual contribution to candidates for Justice of the Ohio Supreme Court during the 2002 Election Cycle was only $273.17. During the 2004 Pre-Primary and Post-Primary Period, the average individual contribution to legislative candidates was $204.66.

  • The candidates for Ohio Supreme Court raised an aggregate $1,710,100 of from November 2, 2003 to April 9, 2004. Appointed incumbent Terrence O’Donnell raised the most money during this time period ($406,303). O’Donnell overshadowed his challenger, William O’Neill, who generated only $16,171. Chief Justice Thomas J. Moyer raised $372,971 and these contributions also overwhelm those of his challenger C. Ellen Connally ($9,700). Democratic Primary winner Nancy A. Fuerst raised $238,395; endorsed Democrat W. Scott Gwin raised $234,244; Republican challenger Judith Lanzinger $363,316. Justice Paul Pfeifer, who faces no opponent, received $69,000.

Ohio Citizen Action is the state's largest environmental organization, with 100,000 dues-paying members. Non-profit and non-partisan, Ohio Citizen Action was founded in 1975. The Ohio Citizen Action Education Fund has been producing money and politics studies since 1992.
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