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Tuesday, January 12, 2010
High court upholds death sentence for Ohio killer
The U.S. Supreme Court unanimously reinstated the death penalty for Frank Spisak, Jr., for the 1982 shooting rampage at Cleveland State University.
Ohio Attorney General Richard Cordray personally argued the case before the high court in October after the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit had set aside the death sentence, ruling that the trial jury had been given improper instructions and Spisak’s attorney had given an inappropriate closing argument.
“We are pleased with the court’s decision,” Cordray said. “Mr. Spisak’s murder campaign is one of the most infamous in Ohio’s history. The jury’s decision to impose a death sentence was appropriate given the horrific nature of his crimes.”
Spisak, who claimed to follow the teachings of Adolf Hitler, killed three men and a fourth victim survived.
Cordray’s office said this is the third time in eight months that the U.S. Supreme Court has reversed the 6th Circuit in an Ohio murder case.
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Speaker Budish: Redistricting reform not likely on May ballot, Third Frontier renewal “Number one priority”
House Speaker Armond Budish, D-Beachwood, strongly signaled on Tuesday, Jan. 12, that it’s unlikely lawmakers will agree to put a legislative redistricting reform proposal on the May 4 ballot.
“I’m not sure we’ll be able to make it on the May ballot,” Budish told reporters.
The Republican-controlled Senate has passed a redistricting plan but Budish said that he didn’t know when the Democratic-controlled House would unveil its version.
Budish said his “number one priority” as the legislature returns this week is putting renewal of the Third Frontier high tech economic development program on the May ballot.
“I would expect it to pass the House no later than next week,” said Budish.
The deadline for approving proposed constitutional amendments for the May ballot is Feb. 3. Budish said he is confident agreement can be reached with House Minority Leader William Batchelder, R-Medina, and Senate President Bill Harris, R-Ashland.
On redistricting reform, Budish cited the complexity of the issue. He said it might be possible to put it on the November general election ballot but that might be difficult, too, because of the highly-charged political atmosphere when statewide offices and control of the legislature will be at stake.
The Senate passed a proposal sponsored by Sen. Jon Husted, R-Kettering, that would set up a seven-member commission after each census to draw up new state legislative and U.S. House districts.
Members would include: governor; secretary of state; auditor; House speaker; Senate president and House and Senate minority leaders. To encourage bipartisan agreement, approval of any plan would require five votes, with at least two coming from representatives of the party in the minority on the commission.
On the Third Frontier, Budish said he would like to see a proposal that calls for issuing $1 billion in bonds over five years. Republicans, however, are advocating a $500 million bond plan.
Budish said he recognized that he might have to compromise but said the program has been a proven success. According to a recent state report, it has created or retrained 48,000 jobs.
