State ex rel. Keefe v. Eyrich

This case presents a question of great significance to constitutional government in Ohio. We are called upon to decide whether a section of Ohio’s Modern Courts Amendment, passed by the voters in *1651968, can stand under a federal constitutional challenge. For reasons to follow, we conclude that it can.

At the outset, we must decide what standard is appropriate for our review of the constitutional issue now before us. We begin by noting that there is no fundamental right to run for public office. This concept was explained by the United States Supreme Court in Snowden v. Hughes (1944), 321…