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Of those, about 9,000 to 10,000 cases wind up at Ohio’s appeals courts. About 1,200 to 1,500 of those appeal to the Ohio Supreme Court, which only agrees to hear between 75 to 100 cases a year, she said.
“That tells you how important your trial judges are and what they do,” French said.
French was first appointed to the Ohio Supreme Court in 2013, and was elected to her first full term in 2014. She has also previously served as deputy director for legal affairs for the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency, Ohio assistant attorney general and chief legal counsel to Ohio Gov. Bob Taft.
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If a party is unhappy with the outcome of a case at the appeals court, they have the option to request a hearing at the Ohio Supreme Court. But there’s no obligation for the Supreme Court to agree to hear the case, French said. To be accepted, at least four of the court’s seven justices need to agree to hear the case.
Cases in which the decision would affect only the parties involved are unlikely to be accepted, she said. Instead, justices typically look for cases where the outcome will have an impact on a significant number of Ohioans.
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“What I’m looking for is a case that would say something to a lot of people around the state,” French said.
She often travels throughout Ohio to learn more about the industries and issues that have the biggest impact on residents. That could include learning more about issues facing the oil and gas industry in eastern Ohio or large industries like insurance or agriculture, which plays a major role in the state’s economy, she said.
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French also briefly discussed the election process in the state for judges, as well as the role money plays. She estimated she raised about $1 million during her campaign, but said that doesn’t go far when spread throughout several media markets across Ohio.
Neither political party affiliation nor financial contributions during the campaign have any influence on the outcome of her decisions in the cases brought before the court, she said.
“I don’t think the party label is particularly helpful in knowing what a justice is going to do,” French said. “For me, the more important thing is what is their philosophy about their role as a judge? Are they conservative, meaning do they conserve the resources of the court, do they conserve the power of the court? Or do they use their powers more liberally? That is critical, and I’ve seen conservative Democrats and I’ve seen liberal Republicans.”
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