Rick Dove, secretary of the Board of Commissioners on Grievances & Discipline and Michelle Hall, senior staff counsel to the Board of Commissioners on Grievances & Discipline serve as faculty members teaching the judicial candidate seminars.

Rick Dove, secretary of the Board of Commissioners on Grievances & Discipline and Michelle Hall, senior staff counsel to the Board of Commissioners on Grievances & Discipline serve as faculty members teaching the judicial candidate seminars.

In the cycle for judgeships up for election every even-numbered year, 2014 will be the one with the most on the ballot that occurs every six years. To assist the many judges who will be on the ballot next year, the first of six judicial candidate seminars will be held December 4 in Dublin.

Rule 4.2(A)(4) of the Code of Judicial Conduct requires all judicial candidates, including incumbent judges, who are seeking election in 2014 to attend a campaign-practices seminar. Candidates must satisfy the requirement within one year before or 30 days after their candidacy is certified by the board of elections.

All judges in Ohio are elected to six-year terms. With 2014 being an even-numbered year, there will be elections for the Ohio Supreme Court, appeals courts, common pleas courts, and county courts.

Rick Dove, secretary of the Board of Commissioners on Grievances & Discipline and one of the faculty members teaching the course, said participants have included incumbents and challengers, campaign volunteers, and paid consultants. In fact, judicial candidates are encouraged to bring their campaign chairpersons and treasurers with them to the seminar.

“The judicial campaign seminars foster a greater understanding of and compliance with the requirements of the Code of Judicial Conduct that are applicable to judicial candidates,” Dove said. “The seminar presentations focus on rules that are unique to judicial campaigns, discuss cases in which judicial candidates were sanctioned for violating the rules, and address questions that frequently are asked by judicial candidates.”

The December 4 session will occur in conjunction with the Ohio Common Pleas Judges Association meeting, but Dove noted that it’s open to all 2014 candidates.

The free seminars cover the ethics rules governing political and campaign activity by judicial candidates, including campaign conduct, standards, communications, solicitations and contributions, and campaign finance reporting and disclaimers. Faculty members include Michelle Hall, Senior Counsel to the Board of Commissioners on Grievances & Discipline, and a representative from the Ohio Secretary of State’s office. Two hours of general CLE credit have been requested for the seminar, and no preregistration is required.

The June 12 and August 14 sessions next year will be conducted via video, while the February 5, 19, and March 6 sessions next year will be live presentations.

Additional information and resources can be found on the Board's website.