Justice of the Supreme Court (Full term commencing 1-1-2017)
November 8, 2016 · general election · 2 candidates with a page
The candidates
Listed alphabetically by surname. Ohio rotates the order candidates appear in by precinct, so no order on this page is the order on a ballot.
- Law clerk to U.S. District Court Judge William Bertelsman
- Trial lawyer and partner, Keating Muething & Klekamp, Cincinnati, from 1987
- Bachelor's degree, Harvard College, 1980
5 of 11 sections researched · 17 sources
- Civil trial lawyer, 1993-2002 and 2005-2007 (per campaign)
- Graduate of St. Joseph High School
- College, Miami University (Ohio)
5 of 11 sections researched · 11 sources
Pat Fischer
The numbers behind this figure, as a table
| Section | State |
|---|---|
| profile | researched |
| ballot | researched |
| positions | not researched |
| claims | not researched |
| record | researched |
| money | not researched |
| interests | not researched |
| polling | not researched |
| elections | researched |
| endorsements | not researched |
| sources | researched |
John P. O'Donnell
The numbers behind this figure, as a table
| Section | State |
|---|---|
| profile | researched |
| ballot | researched |
| positions | not researched |
| claims | not researched |
| record | researched |
| money | not researched |
| interests | not researched |
| polling | not researched |
| elections | researched |
| endorsements | not researched |
| sources | researched |
The race in pictures
The numbers behind this figure, as a table
| Status |
|---|
| None found in the records checked |
A note on our coverage
Read before the columns: where one candidate has more entries than another, this says which of the two reasons it is.
Pat Fischer's record in office has 4 entries and John P. O'Donnell's has 1. The difference reflects the length of each public record and the depth of our research; it is not a judgment.
Jump to a candidate
- Pat Fischer: Where they stand · What they have said, checked · Record in office · Money
- John P. O'Donnell: Where they stand · What they have said, checked · Record in office · Money
Where they stand
Their own words, by issue, with the date, the venue and the link. A paraphrase is marked as one.
Pat Fischer
Not yet researched
John P. O'Donnell
Not yet researched
What they have said, checked
Newest first. Each check is shown in the checker's own rating word, with their name, the date and the link.
Pat Fischer
Not yet researched
John P. O'Donnell
Not yet researched
Record in office
Dated actions. Any evaluation of an action is printed with the name of whoever made it and the link.
The numbers behind this figure, as a table
| Person | Date | Kind | Entry |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fischer (R) | 2010 | office | Judge, Ohio First District Court of Appeals |
| Fischer (R) | 2017-01-01 | office | Justice of the Supreme Court of Ohio |
| Fischer (R) | 2022-09-15 | ruling | 2022-09-15 (ruling): Wrote the Supreme Court of Ohio's majority opinion in State v. O'Malley, 2022-Ohio-3207, which held that forfeiture of a $31,000 truck after |
| Fischer (R) | 2024-09-25 | ruling | 2024-09-25 (ruling): Wrote the Supreme Court of Ohio's majority opinion in State v. Mays, 2024-Ohio-4616, which held that a jury verdict form citing the Revised |
| Fischer (R) | 2025-12-18 | ruling | 2025-12-18 (ruling): Wrote the Supreme Court of Ohio's majority opinion in State v. Balmert, 2025-Ohio-5588, which affirmed the aggravated-vehicular-assault conv |
| Fischer (R) | 2026-05-27 | ruling | 2026-05-27 (ruling): Wrote the Supreme Court of Ohio's majority opinion in State ex rel. Center for Media and Democracy v. Yost, 2026-Ohio-1899, which vacated a |
| O'Donnell (D) | 2002 | office | Judge, Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas, General Division |
| O'Donnell (D) | 2007 | office | Judge, Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas, General Division |
| O'Donnell (D) | 2015-05-23 | ruling | 2015-05-23 (ruling): Presided over the bench trial in State v. Brelo and found the defendant, a Cleveland police officer, not guilty of voluntary manslaughter an |
Pat Fischer
-
May 27, 2026 · ruling
Wrote the Supreme Court of Ohio's majority opinion in State ex rel. Center for Media and Democracy v. Yost, 2026-Ohio-1899, which vacated a Tenth District discovery order in a public-records case against the Ohio Attorney General's office, holding that discovery must be relevant and proportional and that the appeals court had not justified deposing Attorney General Dave Yost.
Sources: State ex rel. Ctr. for Media & Democracy v. Yost, 2026-Ohio-1899 · Appeals Court Must Reevaluate the Scope of Discovery in Public Records Case
-
December 18, 2025 · ruling
Wrote the Supreme Court of Ohio's majority opinion in State v. Balmert, 2025-Ohio-5588, which affirmed the aggravated-vehicular-assault conviction of a driver over the legal limit for marijuana metabolites who struck a state trooper, holding the evidence sufficient to show his marijuana use was the proximate cause.
Sources: State v. Balmert, 2025-Ohio-5588 · Aggravated Vehicular Assault Conviction Upheld For Driver Who Injured Trooper
-
September 25, 2024 · ruling
Wrote the Supreme Court of Ohio's majority opinion in State v. Mays, 2024-Ohio-4616, which held that a jury verdict form citing the Revised Code section that sets the higher penalty is enough to support conviction of the elevated offense under R.C. 2945.75(A)(2).
Sources: State v. Mays, 2024-Ohio-4616 · Jury Form Contained Enough Information To Elevate Penalty for Offense
-
September 15, 2022 · ruling
Wrote the Supreme Court of Ohio's majority opinion in State v. O'Malley, 2022-Ohio-3207, which held that forfeiture of a $31,000 truck after a third drunk-driving conviction in ten years did not violate the Eighth Amendment's Excessive Fines Clause.
Sources: State v. O'Malley, 2022-Ohio-3207 · Court-Ordered Truck Forfeiture for Third Drunk-Driving Offense Found Constitutional
John P. O'Donnell
-
May 23, 2015 · ruling
Presided over the bench trial in State v. Brelo and found the defendant, a Cleveland police officer, not guilty of voluntary manslaughter and of felonious assault in the deaths of two people after a November 2012 police chase.
Money
Totals and donors exactly as filed with the FEC or the Ohio Secretary of State, each figure with its filing link.
The numbers behind this figure, as a table
| Status |
|---|
| None found in the records checked |
Pat Fischer
The numbers behind this figure, as a table
| Status |
|---|
| None found in the records checked |
Totals as filed
Not yet researched
Top donors, as filed
Not yet researched
Outside spending
Not yet researched
In-state share
Not yet researched
John P. O'Donnell
The numbers behind this figure, as a table
| Status |
|---|
| None found in the records checked |
Totals as filed
Not yet researched
Top donors, as filed
Not yet researched
Outside spending
Not yet researched
In-state share
Not yet researched
The result
Pat Fischer · certified 2016 · turnout 71.33
| Candidate | Votes | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Pat Fischer | 2,044,984 | 50.3% |
| John P. O'Donnell | 2,022,514 | 49.7% |
Sources: 2016 Ohio elections · Ohio Supreme Court elections · 2016 United States presidential election in Ohio
Sources
Data from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0: 2016 Ohio elections · Ohio Supreme Court elections · 2016 United States presidential election in Ohio · Patrick F. Fischer · 2022 Ohio elections · 2022 Ohio gubernatorial election · 2020 Ohio elections · Killing of Timothy Russell and Malissa Williams · 2014 Ohio elections
- 2016 Ohio elections · Wikipedia · accessed 2026-09-25
- Ohio Supreme Court elections · Wikipedia · accessed 2026-09-25
- Voters Cast Ballots for Two New Justices in General Election · Court News Ohio (Supreme Court of Ohio) · 2016-11-09 · accessed 2026-09-25
- Justice Judith Ann Lanzinger · Supreme Court of Ohio · accessed 2026-09-25
- 2016 United States presidential election in Ohio · Wikipedia · accessed 2026-09-25
- Justice Patrick F. Fischer · Supreme Court of Ohio · accessed 2026-09-24
- Patrick F. Fischer · Wikipedia · accessed 2026-09-24
- State ex rel. Ctr. for Media & Democracy v. Yost, 2026-Ohio-1899 · Supreme Court of Ohio · 2026-05-27 · accessed 2026-09-24
- Appeals Court Must Reevaluate the Scope of Discovery in Public Records Case · Court News Ohio (Supreme Court of Ohio) · 2026-05-27 · accessed 2026-09-24
- State v. Balmert, 2025-Ohio-5588 · Supreme Court of Ohio · 2025-12-18 · accessed 2026-09-24
- Aggravated Vehicular Assault Conviction Upheld For Driver Who Injured Trooper · Court News Ohio (Supreme Court of Ohio) · 2025-12-18 · accessed 2026-09-24
- State v. Mays, 2024-Ohio-4616 · Supreme Court of Ohio · 2024-09-25 · accessed 2026-09-24
- Jury Form Contained Enough Information To Elevate Penalty for Offense · Court News Ohio (Supreme Court of Ohio) · 2024-09-25 · accessed 2026-09-24
- State v. O'Malley, 2022-Ohio-3207 · Supreme Court of Ohio · 2022-09-15 · accessed 2026-09-24
- Court-Ordered Truck Forfeiture for Third Drunk-Driving Offense Found Constitutional · Court News Ohio (Supreme Court of Ohio) · 2022-09-15 · accessed 2026-09-24
- 2022 Ohio elections · Wikipedia · accessed 2026-09-24
- 2022 Ohio gubernatorial election · Wikipedia · accessed 2026-09-24
- LaRose Certifies Results for the November 2022 General Election · Ohio Secretary of State · 2022-12-09
- Judge John P. O'Donnell · Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas · accessed 2026-09-25
- John O'Donnell (2020 candidate questionnaire) · Judicial Votes Count (University of Akron) · 2020-09-24 · accessed 2026-09-25
- 2020 Ohio elections · Wikipedia · accessed 2026-09-25
- Killing of Timothy Russell and Malissa Williams · Wikipedia · accessed 2026-09-25
- 2014 Ohio elections · Wikipedia · accessed 2026-09-25
- Judicial Races Decided · Court News Ohio (Supreme Court of Ohio) · 2014-11-05 · accessed 2026-09-25
- William O'Neill Honored in Swearing-In Ceremony, Takes Office January 2 · Court News Ohio (Supreme Court of Ohio) · 2012-12-28 · accessed 2026-09-25
- Judicial Elections Bring Turnover at All Levels · Court News Ohio (Supreme Court of Ohio) · 2020-11-04 · accessed 2026-09-25
Quick answers
When was the 2016 Justice of the Supreme Court (Full term commencing 1-1-2017) election in Ohio?
The election for Justice of the Supreme Court (Full term commencing 1-1-2017) was held on November 8, 2016.
Who ran for Justice of the Supreme Court (Full term commencing 1-1-2017) in 2016?
On the ballot for Justice of the Supreme Court (Full term commencing 1-1-2017), in surname order: Pat Fischer (Republican), John P. O'Donnell (Democratic).
Who won the 2016 Justice of the Supreme Court (Full term commencing 1-1-2017) election?
Pat Fischer won the election for Justice of the Supreme Court (Full term commencing 1-1-2017). Results as certified: Pat Fischer 50.3%, John P. O'Donnell 49.7%.
Cite and data
Cite this page as:
Cracked Buckeye, "Justice of the Supreme Court (Full term commencing 1-1-2017), 2016", https://crackedbuckeye.com/election/2016/supreme-court-jan-1-2017/, built 2026-11-02, accessed [date].
How to cite · Report a correction · Built 2026-11-02