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Wednesday, October 26, 2005
Courts - Justice Rucker's son runs for Ohio judicial seat
The Cincinnati Enquirer reports today:
Hamilton County Municipal Court District 3, to a political scientist, is the most interesting of the lot in terms of its underlying demographics. Extending across north-central Hamilton County, it includes Mount Healthy, Carthage, North College Hill, Greenhills, Forest Park, Silverton, Amberley Village , Arlington Heights, Golf Manor, Wyoming, Lockland, Roselawn and part of Springfield Township.This was originally drawn as a minority influence district - one where African-American voters would have a strong and perhaps decisive voice in any election. Since the original boundaries were drawn in 1993 their numbers have grown. But the district still has a Republican edge, according to the region's political pros.
On Nov. 8 voters in District 3 will make decisions about both of its judgeships. Incumbent David Stockdale, a Republican incumbent, is running for re-election to a full term against Fanon Rucker, a Democrat who ran a strong campaign in last year's tumultuous county prosecutor race. The other contest finds a recently-appointed Republican, Kendal Coes, competing against attorney Ted Berry for an unexpired term. Three of the four candidates are African American. All four are well-qualified. * * *
Rucker, 34, the son of a justice on the Indiana Supreme Court, is a 1993 graduate of Hampton University and a 1996 graduate of UC's law school. He served as an assistant city prosecutor from 1996-2000; since then he has been in private practice with two downtown law firms and serves as law director in Lincoln Heights and as prosecutor for the village of Woodlawn.
On the stump, Rucker, a Roselawn resident, has emphasized his desire to make the judicial process more transparent to those coming before the court. He said he would, if elected, increase the number of written opinions.
The Cincinnati Bar Association, after surveying its members, endorsed both Stockdale and Rucker. It said of Rucker in part, that he "has received uniformly positive ratings from attorneys in Cincinnati for his intelligence, skill and demeanor....the committee believes Mr. Rucker would make an excellent judge.'' Stockdale, the committee said, "has a demonstrated record as an excellent judge. He received high marks for his intelligence, knowledge of the law and his courtroom presence."
Posted by Marcia Oddi on October 26, 2005 08:52 AM
Posted to Indiana Courts