Supreme Court of Ohio 2011 Annual Report

On January 1, Maureen O’Connor
became the first woman chief justice in
Ohio history. Just seven days later, the
new chief justice looked on as Yvette
McGee Brown was sworn in as the first African-
American woman to serve on the high court bench.
2011 thus marked the return of a female majority
to the Supreme Court, which first occurred when
Justice O’Connor joined the court in 2003. It also
was the start of a friendship between Chief Justice
O’Connor and Justice McGee Brown, a relationship
that did not escape the attention of the media.
The Columbus Dispatch later in the year headlined
a feature article with, “Justices Discover They’re
Sisters in Law.”
Ohio voters elected Chief Justice O’Connor on
November 2, 2010, to a 6-year term as the Supreme
Court’s 10th chief justice. She became the state’s
148th justice when her first term began January 1,
2003, and was later re-elected a justice of the court
in 2008. She was only the sixth woman to join the
Ohio Supreme Court. The first was Florence Allen
in 1923.
At her swearing-in ceremony, Justice Paul E.
Pfeifer administered the oath of office. Chief Justice
O’Connor said she’s looking forward to continuing
the work with her colleagues on addressing the
court’s share of the budget burden facing the state.
“Without question, each branch of government
will undergo some degree of belt-tightening while
still delivering high-quality services,” she said.
“We are poised to make those difficult decisions
strategically, collaboratively and soundly.”
Several days later, the Ohio judicial community
and the city of Columbus came together to
honor Justice McGee Brown at her swearing-in
ceremony on January 8. Then-Gov. Ted Strickland
administered the oath of office at the King Arts
7