eVoter Profile of Eric Brown Candidate 2010 Ohio General Election

As Chief Justice, I have provided the Supreme Court with strong leadership at a challenging time. I know I must exercise strong fiscal responsibility, and I have a constitutional duty to ensure that courts are open and accessible in order to resolve disputes fairly and provide justice. I understand the struggles facing small businesses and ordinary Ohioans. Throughout my career of more than 30 years practicing law and serving the public, including nearly 15 years as an elected school board member, I have developed an understanding of how the law impacts the everyday lives of Ohioans. I was raised working in my family's businesses and my own, and I understand the importance of a stabile and predictable legal environment.

As a common pleas court judge and as a probate judge, I have worked hard to provide fair, impartial and speedy resolution to legal disputes.

Good public service demands independence, integrity, and a strong willingness to serve all Ohioans. Throughout my career, I have demonstrated these qualities. Every day I seek to ensure that Ohio courts will deliver justice that is fair, justice that is impartial, and justice that respects the law and the Constitution of the State of Ohio.

For the last 24 years the discussion of what Ohio’s laws mean has been led by Chief Justice Thomas Moyer. With his passing, the direction the court will take and the impact it will have on Ohioans is up in the air. The Ohio Supreme Court is going to change, and the change must build on the good work of Chief Justice Moyer. But more importantly, the Ohio Supreme Court needs to change. It needs to change because, in my view, many Ohioans are losing faith in the courts and the law. They are losing faith because of a lack of balance in the court -– not just political balance, but an imbalance of viewpoints, backgrounds, experience and perspectives. Ohioans are losing faith because the courts are sometimes difficult to access -– they are intimidating, distant, and not fully engaged with their communities. Some people feel they have no voice at the Ohio Supreme Court. They know the courts take too long and that justice delayed is justice denied.

And they are losing faith in Ohio’s courts because, at times, platitudes and posturing have replaced real problem solving. We need justice that is fair, justice that is impartial and justice that respects the law and the Constitution of the State of Ohio. But these goals can’t be achieved when the Court doesn’t accurately reflect the people it is meant to serve. The Ohio Supreme Court needs to be conscious of how the law and the courts affect the lives of everyday Ohioans and that it is the Court’s job to ensure that the law works for all of us. Delivering this reminder is the role of the Chief Justice. And that’s why I am running -– to provide leadership and begin restoring the faith of Ohioans in the law and in their courts.