Your rights are on the line

-Source-Cleveland.com In ways big and small our state and federal supreme courts make decisions that affect the lives of every Ohioan. As weve been recently reminded the U.S. Supreme Court selection process - controlled by the U.S. president and U.S. Senate - receives more negative attention than the Founding Fathers intended. The Ohio Supreme Court selection process - governed entirely by voters - receives precious little attention. At times the results reflect as much. Decisions by the Ohio Supreme Court can have enormous impact. The courts 1997 ruling in the landmark DeRolph case found to be unconstitutional the way the state funded each of the states more than 600 school districts. More recent decisions have abrogated (often unfairly) the rights of local governments to regulate deadly weapons predatory lending oil and gas drilling traffic laws and hiring requirements. Ohio Supreme Court rules against Clevelands efforts at local gun control Ohio Supreme Court rules against Clevelands efforts at local gun control The court on Wednesday refused to review an appellate court decision that struck down Clevelands gun offender registry and several gun ordinances approved in 2015. And an August ruling allowed the Ohio Department of Education to reclaim $80 million in taxpayer money wrongfully paid the now-closed Electronic Classroom of Tomorrow (ECOT) for allegedly padding its attendance records. Nevertheless as Election Day nears private polling shows about 70 percent of the voters in the two contests for seats on the Ohio Supreme Court are undecided. Voters tend to pay more attention to a race for township clerk than they do to the states most important judicial body. Last time that wasnt the case was 32 years ago when stories by Plain Dealer reporters Mary Anne Sharkey and the late Gary Webb revealed the court led by Chief Justice Frank Celebrezze a Cleveland-area Democrat was awash in patronage favoritism vindictive punishment of enemies and a host of other suspicious activities.