Terrence O'Donnell (Ohio)

Terrence O'Donnell

Republican Party

Prior offices

Ohio Supreme Court

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Education

Bachelor's

Kent State University, 1968

Law

Cleveland State University, 1971

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Terrence O'Donnell was a justice on the Ohio Supreme Court from 2003 to 2018. He was appointed to this position by Governor Bob Taft, effective May 19, 2003, to replace Judge Deborah Cook. He did not file for re-election and left office at the end of his term on December 31, 2018.

Education

O'Donnell received his B.A. in political science from Kent State University in 1968 and his J.D. from Cleveland State University in 1971.

Career

• 2003-2018: Justice, Ohio Supreme Court
• 2003: Visiting Judge, counties throughout Ohio
• 1995-2003: Judge, Ohio Eighth District Court of Appeals
• 1982-1994: Judge, Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas
• 1980: Judge, Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas, Ohio
• 1974-1980: Attorney, Marshman, Snyder & Corrigan
• 1974-1976: Director, Paralegal Education Program, David M. Myers College
• 1972-1974: Law Clerk, Judge John M. Manos and Judge John V. Corrigan, Ohio Eighth District Court of Appeals
• 1971-1972: Law Clerk, Justice J.J.P. Corrigan, Ohio Supreme Court

Awards and associations

Awards

• 2006: Distinguished Alumni Award - Cleveland State University
• 2006: ORT Jurisprudence Award
• 2006: Honorary Doctors degree - University of Akron School of Law
• 2005: 75th Anniversary of the College of Arts and Sciences, Kent State University - Outstanding Graduate
• 2004: Alumnus of the Year, St. Edward High School
• 2003: Public Official of the Year, Federation of German-American Societies of Greater Cleveland
• 2003: American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin - Central Ohio
• 2003: American Nationalities Movement - Captive Nations Commemoration Program, Justice Award
• 1989-1998: President's Award, Cleveland Bar Association, Law Related Education Committee,
• Student Essay Contest

Associations

• Officer, Catholic Lawyer's Guild of Cleveland
• Member, Ohio State Bar Association
• Member, 2005 Ohio State Bar Foundation Fellows Class
• Chairman, Ohio Legal Rights Service Commission
• Chairman, Law Related Education Committee, Cleveland Bar Association
• Member, Supreme Court Commission on Professionalism, Supreme Court of Ohio
• Member, Court Statistical Reporting Committee, Supreme Court of Ohio

Elections

2018

See also: Ohio Supreme Court elections, 2018

Terrence O'Donnell did not file to run for re-election.

2012

See also: Ohio judicial elections, 2012

O'Donnell defeated Mike Skindell in the general election on November 6, winning 69.12% of the vote.

Ohio State Bar Association rating

In June and September, the Ohio State Bar Association rated O'Donnell as "Recommended" according to eight criteria: legal knowledge and ability; professional competence; judicial temperament; integrity; diligence; health; personal responsibility; and public/community service.

2006 Election

In 2006, O'Donnell defeated William M. O'Neill, winning 58.67% of the vote.

Candidate	Incumbent	Seat	Party	Election %
Terrence O'Donnell A	Yes	Term commencing January 1, 2007	Republican	58.7%
William O'Neill	No	Term commencing January 1, 2007	Democratic	41.3%

Campaign contributions

In 2006, the Ohio Supreme Court found itself the subject of a national story. The New York Times had run an article detailing how the court favors those providing hefty campaign contributions. According to the paper's research, O'Donnell voted with his donors 91% of the time.

2004 election

In 2004, O'Donnell ran for the seat to which he was appointed in April 2003.

Candidate	Incumbent	Seat	Party	Election %
Terrence O'Donnell A	Yes	Term commencing January 1, 2005	Republican	60.5%
William O'Neill	No	Term commencing January 1, 2005	Democratic	39.5%

2000 Election

In 2000, O'Donnell was defeated by incumbent Alice Robie Resnick. Resnick won 57% of the vote.

Political ideology

See also: Political ideology of State Supreme Court Justices

In October 2012, political science professors Adam Bonica and Michael Woodruff of Stanford University attempted to determine the partisan ideology of state supreme court justices. They created a scoring system in which a score above 0 indicated a more conservative-leaning ideology, while scores below 0 were more liberal.

O'Donnell received a campaign finance score of 0.87, indicating a conservative ideological leaning. This was more conservative than the average score of 0.62 that justices received in Ohio.

The study was based on data from campaign contributions by the judges themselves, the partisan leaning of those who contributed to the judges' campaigns, or, in the absence of elections, the ideology of the appointing body (governor or legislature). This study was not a definitive label of a justice, but an academic summary of various relevant factors.

External links

• Project Vote Smart, Justice Terrence O'Donnell (OH)
• Money in Politics, Terrence O'Donnell
• Media Trackers, "Supreme Court Candidates Discuss Judicial Philosophy," October 8, 2012
• The-Daily-Record.com, "Incumbent justices talk about Supreme Court," March 26, 2012
• The Newspaper, "Ohio Supreme Court Upholds Speeding Ticket by Visual Guess," June 3, 2010
• The Plain Dealer, "Judge says $18,000 taken from car," July 26, 2009