At Ohio Supreme Court ceremony, Justice Joe Deters slams ‘judicial activism’

Ohio Supreme Court Justice Joe Deters was formally sworn in Tuesday as he begins the six-year term he was elected to in November.

In remarks during a public investiture ceremony, Deters, who was the longest-tenured prosecutor in Hamilton County history before being appointed to the high court in December 2022, criticized “judicial activism.” He said it’s crucial that judges as well as Supreme Court justices “stay in their lane.”

Deters said a justice’s job is to interpret laws, determine if they’re constitutional and protect the rights of individuals. It does not include, he said, “inserting ourselves and our personal beliefs into the process.”

“If you don’t care for a law, run for the legislature and change it,” he said. “Don’t ask me, or us, to do that. That is not our job.”

The ceremony was held in the Supreme Court’s grand courtroom in Columbus. It featured remarks from Deters’ close friend, WLW radio host Bill Cunningham, who said he first met Deters in 1985 after Deters lost his first race for political office, for Springfield Township trustee. The winner: John Waksmundski.

Deters, then in his late-20s, had asked Cunningham if he could appear on the radio show. “I said, ‘Not really,'” Cunningham recalled.

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Source: Cincinnati.com