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Dayton attorney mulls Supreme Court campaign

Dayton attorney Gary Leppla, past president of the Ohio State Bar Association.

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Chief Justice lobbies for Supreme Court reform

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By William Hershey, Staff Writer 10:20 PM Saturday, October 10, 2009

COLUMBUS — Dayton attorney Gary Leppla tooted his own horn as a member of The Ohio State University Marching Band.

If Leppla, 56, takes the plunge next year and runs for chief justice of the Ohio Supreme Court, he might want to pick up his E-flat alto horn and hit the road.

That’s not a reflection on Leppla’s legal skills.

After all, he’s past president of the Ohio State Bar Association.

Rather, it’s a measure of what Leppla, a Democrat, and current Ohio Supreme Court Justice Chief Justice Thomas Moyer, a Republican, consider a flawed system for choosing members of the state’s court of last resort.

Candidates for the Ohio Supreme Court, especially those running for the first time, have to do anything possible to draw attention to themselves.

The main thing they need, however, is money — lots of it. That leads to a perception among voters that justices are influenced by their contributors’ views.

“It’s a totally flawed system because of the money involved,” said Leppla.

That’s what Moyer thinks, too. The chief justice, along with the Ohio State Bar Association and the League of Women Voters of Ohio Education Fund, are co-sponsoring a conference in Columbus next month to examine ways to change the system.

Leppla, a trial lawyer, helped put the conference together and plans to attend.

That leads to an obvious question: If the system is so flawed, why is Leppla thinking about campaigning to become part of it?

“One reason to seek this is to continue to talk about the way we choose justices,” said Leppla.

Democrats haven’t won a Supreme Court election since 2000, and whoever runs for chief justice in 2010 is expected to face an uphill battle.

Moyer is retiring and the likely Republican candidate to run for chief is incumbent Justice Maureen O’Connor.

Nationally, 2008 may have been the year of Obama. But in Ohio it was the year of O’Connor. She got more votes statewide in winning a second, six-year term than Obama did in the race for president.

Besides a last name that could belong to a Cleveland Democrat, O’Connor has a resume that would scare off most challengers — former Summit County prosecutor, former lieutenant governor and, of course, two-term high court incumbent.

Leppla expects to make a decision soon.

“First of all, you have to decide, do you have the fire in your belly to wage more than a yearlong campaign?” he said.

Then he has to decide if he can put together a team that can raise the millions of dollars needed to “get your message out.”

Where’s that alto horn when you need it?

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Seems to me that the last comment proved the point of the comment just before it... sounds like someone who has been on an opposing side

Greg
2:51 PM, 10/13/2009

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Leppla needs to do a better job on his fake "testimonials" on this forum. They all sound like they're from a script. Fake, fake, fake. Gary Leppla is a total disaster and train wreck. The state of Ohio is in enough trouble without frauds like this guy getting more involved. Leppla, please stay here and help DUI people get out of jail. That's about all you can handle.

Bonnie
3:17 AM, 10/13/2009

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Actually, a litigator makes friends and enemies in various places, as he stands up for his clients. The true measure of this lawyer is reflected in the respect he garners from judges and lawyers. On that relevant level Mr. Leppla has few peers. This news of a possible candidacy has been treated with great support and excitement all over the State.

Co-worker
11:25 AM, 10/12/2009

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Mediocre... I've known him for 20+ years and lived in Germantown all my life. He's not a supreme court judge... not yet.

racer
8:52 PM, 10/11/2009

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Mr. Leppla is not a mediocre lawyer. He is one of the most talented attorneys in the state of Ohio and is extraordinarily dedicated to his clients. We would be lucky if he was elected to serve the people of the State of Ohio because we would receive the same dedication his clients do.

Client
4:20 PM, 10/11/2009

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