Thanks to the Sidney Daily News for covering our visit!

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SIDNEY — Judge Pat DeWine attended a breakfast Monday morning at the Shelby County area National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) to talk to local business owners about the upcoming race.

DeWine, 48, is running for the open six-year term justice seat on the Ohio Supreme Court at the polls on Nov. 8. He is hoping to replace retiring Justice Paul Pfeifer, who cannot run again due to age restrictions.

“It was great. It was a good chance to talk to local business owners about the race and hear about what issues are important to them, particularly from the litigation court standpoint,” said DeWine about the breakfast at the NFIB.

Currently, DeWine serves on the First District Court of Appeals, based in Cincinnati, and is a professor of appellate litigation at the University of Cincinnati. He served as a judge on the Hamilton County Common Pleas Court, was a Hamilton Board commissioner, a Cincinnati City Council member and practiced law with a large Cincinnati firm for 13 years. He had also been selected to sit by designation on the Ohio Supreme Court.

Philosophy and experience are why DeWine feels he is the best choice for the open justice seat.

“I have a judicial philosophy of being a constitutional conservative, and I believe the best place I can apply that philosophy is on the Ohio Supreme Court. It’s the court of last resort in Ohio, which means that it’s the final word for all Ohio state courts,”DeWine said.

“From an experience stand point, I am the only person running who has been both a trial court judge and a judge on the Court of Appeals,” said DeWine.

When asked how a judge should run the court, DeWine said, “I think a judge should be respectful of the people who are in front of him, as well as other judges, at the same time, it is the judge’s job to maintain order and decorum in the court room.”

“I believe judges should not legislate from the bench, but should apply the law as it is written,” DeWine said.

“I grew up working in my grandfather’s seed business and working on the family farm, so I learned early-on the value of hard work,” said DeWine about his background of growing up in the small farming community of Cedarville, Ohio.

DeWine and his wife Rhonda reside in Cincinnati and are the parents of five children. He also is the son of Ohio’s Attorney General Mike DeWine.

“I am the father of five teenagers, so I tell people I have lots of experience at adjudicating disputes that I’ll bring to the Ohio Supreme Court,” said DeWine with a chuckle.

Judge Pat DeWine is honored to have received the official endorsement of the Cleveland Police Patrolmen’s Association! They join the Ohio Association of Professional Firefighters, Toledo Police Patrolman’s Association, and the Ohio Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association in recently endorsing Pat DeWine for Supreme Court.

DeWine seeks Ohio Supreme Court seat

GREENVILLE — Judge Pat DeWine was in Greenville Saturday to meet with local Republicans and help open the Darke County GOP headquarters.

DeWine currently serves on the First District Court of Appeals, based in Cincinnati. His previous experience includes time as judge on the Hamilton County Common Pleas Court, on the Hamilton County Board of Commissioners, and on the Cincinnati City Council. He has also practiced private law.

He is the oldest son of eight children to current Ohio Attorney General and former U.S. Senator Mike DeWine. He and his wife Rhonda live in Cincinnati where they are the proud parents of five children.

DeWine, 48, hopes to gain support for his November 8 bid for a six-year term as a justice on the Ohio Supreme Court.

“I’m someone who’s a constitutional conservative, who believes judges ought to apply the laws as written, not legislate from the bench,” he told The Daily Advocate. “If you believe that, the place where you make the biggest difference in Ohio, is the Ohio Supreme Court, because that’s the court of last resort, the court that sets the precedents for the other courts in Ohio.”

“No one running for the [Ohio] Supreme Court has broader experience than I do, having been both a trial and appellate judge,” he explained.

DeWine’s opponent in the race is Democrat Cynthia Westcott Rice, Appellate Court Judge for the Eleventh District Court of Appeals. The two are seeking to replace retiring Justice Paul Pfeifer, prevented from running again due to age limitations.

The Ohio State Bar Association’s Commission on Judicial Candidates voted Rice as “highly recommended,” while giving DeWine a “not recommended” rating.

In response to the commission’s rating, DeWine told The Lima News, “I believe that [the OSBA rating] was completely political. I think you just simply have to take a look at my résumé. I rate myself highly on those topics.”

A second open seat on the Ohio Supreme Court is being contested by Republican Pat Fischer and Democrat John P. O’Donnell.

Though seeking to be a new voice on the highest court in the state, DeWine says he has no major complaints with the performance of the court, of late.

“I think the court has done a pretty decent job in the last few years, not legislating from the bench, but that hasn’t always been the case,” he said. “With the changes that are coming with these open seats, it could easily go back to having a much more activist court.”

“My opponent says she believes in a ‘living constitution,’ which basically means that judges pick and choose as they please,” he added.

When asked to describe what temperament is needed to be a judge, DeWine said, “I think a judge needs to be someone who treats everyone with respect. The judge also needs to be someone who makes sure that his or her courtroom is run properly. There’s certain things you’re not going to tolerate in a courtroom, a certain level of decorum. I think a judge has to do both those things.”

DeWine hopes his campaign will appeal both to Republican and non-Republican voters alike.

“What I tell people is that if you have my philosophy of sticking to the constitution and law as it’s written, that’s really the only way that you achieve fairness and justice,” he said. “If you do that, you’re applying the same rules to everyone. And I think that’s what people want from the court — just to apply the same rules to everyone. If you have an activist judge who changes the rules based upon the situation, that means that not everyone is getting treated the same way in our courts.”

Voters can learn more about Judge Pat DeWine at his campaign website www.patdewine.com.

The writer may be reached at 937-569-4314. Join the conversation and get updates on Facebook search Darke County Sports or Advocate 360. For more features online go to dailyadvocate.com

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The endorsements just keep rolling in! Judge Pat DeWine is honored to have received the official endorsement of the Ohio Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association! The OPBA represents more than 7,000 law enforcement officers from 241 departments across Ohio. With this, Pat has endorsements from over a dozen large organizations that include the Ohio Association of Professional Firefighters and the Toledo Police Patrolman’s Association. Judge DeWine understands the difficult job confronted by law enforcement, and he is honored to have their support.

Judge Pat DeWine is honored to have received the official endorsement of the Toledo Police Patrolman’s Association! They join the Ohio Association of Professional Firefighters, the Ohio Farm Bureau, the Ohio Chamber of Commerce, the Greater Cleveland Building Trades, and the NFIB in recently endorsing Pat DeWine for Supreme Court.