Outgoing Ohio AG may move to state supreme court

COLUMBUS, Ohio (Legal Newsline) - Outgoing Ohio Attorney General Richard Cordray's name has been tossed around recently as a possible state Supreme Court justice.

Cordray, a Democrat, was elected to his current attorney general post in November 2008 to serve the remainder of the term held by the previous attorney general, Marc Dann. Dann had resigned in May 2008 amid a sex scandal.

Earlier this month, Cordray lost his bid for re-election to former Lt. Gov. and U.S. Sen. Mike DeWine, a Republican.

Prior to being attorney general, Cordray served as the state Treasurer and as treasurer of Franklin County. He also served as a member of the Ohio House of Representatives and as the state's first solicitor.

Now, Gov. Ted Strickland has a chance to appoint an Ohio Supreme Court justice before he leaves office. Strickland endorsed Cordray during his 2008 campaign.

According to the Cleveland Plain Dealer, Cordray's name "has emerged as a possibility."

Justice Maureen O'Connor won election last week as the high court's chief justice. That means she must vacate her current post, to which she was elected in 2008 for six years.

Strickland, who will be replaced with Republican Gov.-elect John Kasich, doesn't officially leave his post until Jan. 9. That gives him at least a week to appoint O'Connor's replacement on the Court, the Plain Dealer reported.

Cordray told the Cleveland newspaper on Friday that he is still considering his future.

"A number of people have raised that possibility to me," he told the Plain Dealer. "I haven't focused on that."

Strickland's appointee would have to run for election in 2012 to serve the remaining two years of O'Connor's term.

From Legal Newsline: Reach Jessica Karmasek by e-mail at jessica@legalnewsline.com.