This is ridiculous. Resnick ought to be impeached/recalled/whatever as soon as possible. You have no business sitting on the state Supreme Court if you cannot even follow the law yourself. And please, spare me any b.s. about drunk driving not being a big deal. She could have killed someone. She was playing Russian roulette with other drivers’ lives.

Ohio Voter,

I agree with you, but that is a scary proposition. Resnick is the only Dem. on the Court.

Can you say, "tyranny of the majority?" I think we need to re-evaluate our system of electing judges in Ohio.

Nonetheless, Resnick’s actions are inexcusable. I certainly would not argue with you about that.

Kevin Mitchell

If she would have killed someone, then Ohi Voter might make some sense. Since she did not, despite the hysteria regarding drunk driving (see for instance Ohio Voter), she just committed a traffic offense.

What if I aimed a gun at you, but it misfired? Would that be sufficient? Or could I still sit in judgment of the rest of the state because I didn’t actually kill anybody? The fact that no one was hurt is completely independent of Resnick’s culpability. Should she benefit from the fact that other drivers were attentive? That there were less people on the road than there might have been? No way. If she were just Joe Schmoe lawyer, she’d have to fight like hell just to keep her bar license. We shouldn’t treat her any differently just because she’s powerful.

Ohio voter....you claim that we should not treat her any differently just because she’s powerful. I completely agree, however, normal people do not loose their jobs when they get a DUI. First time offenders, usually are required to take ARD classes (alcohol rehabilitation) and pay a fine. Mulitple offenders obviously have stricter penalties.

If this is this judges first offense, she should have to attend ARD, but I think that causing her to loose her job would be severe. Would you want to loose your job because of one stupid mistake?

Don’t get me wrong, I do not condone her behavior, but I agree with others that we cannot become hysterical and call for her dismissal. Two wrongs do not make a right.

Ohio Voter, I agree with you, for the most part, on this matter. I am glad, however, to see that she is not entirely above the law, afterall, they did arrest her for it.

. . . normal people do not loose their jobs when they get a DUI.

That’s probably true, but normal people also do not enforce the law for a living. I don’t think it’s unreasonable to say that if you cannot follow the law yourself, you should not be a judge. You certainly should not be a member of the Supreme Court.

she just committed a traffic offense.

Bob, a DUI in most states is not a traffic infraction like speeding, it is a misdemeanor (a criminal offense). I suspect the same is true in Ohio.

I believe that in Ohio there is a one-year suspension for refusal to take the BAC test. There is also a mandatory three-day jail sentence.

That’s exactly what we need on the Ohio Supreme Court: a jailbird. Resnick’s left-wing decisions were bad enough (anybody remember the awful tort reform case that resulted in those negative ads back in 2000?). This is disgraceful.

According to today’s Plain Dealer, Resnick continually repeated to the officers that she is an Ohio Supreme Court Justice. Good one. Hardly an appropriate response.

Pchuck, yes, I know it is not a minor misdemeanor like speeding but it is still a traffic offense.

Ohio Voter is wrong about Joe Lawyer. One DUI does not result in loss of a license to practice law, not even a suspension. Nor should it. Losing all your income for one mistake is a bit excessive in my view.

Despite the MADD induced hysteria on this, as long as drinking is legal, then a DUI without injury or death is nothing to get really excited about. If she was driving 100 mph without drinking, is that not as potentially deadly?

Drunk driving is certainly nothing like pointing a loaded gun at someone which is always a crime in and of itself. Having a drink does not automatically mean you are unable to drive.

I would also point out that I have never heard of a DUI arresting officer who did not find that "A strong odor of alcohol was detected". It is always strong, not mild or any other adjective.

If convicted, she should be punished according to the law. She should be spared cheap moralizing.

By the way, in order to stop the inevitable accusation, I have never been stopped or arrested or convicted for DUI or anything similar.

Drunk driving is certainly nothing like pointing a loaded gun at someone which is always a crime in and of itself.

Can you point me to any example where driving .14 above the legal limit is also not "a crime in and of itself"?

Having a drink does not automatically mean you are unable to drive.

I agree. Resnick had for more than "a" drink - her blood alcohol was nearly three times the legal limit. As for her ability to drive, well, there is a videotape of the incident, which is available online and is very easy to find, that pretty clearly tells us that she was not able to drive. This is not a case where someone misjudged their BAC and was cought driving a little bit over. This is not a half a beer too many at dinner. She was far over the limit, could not drive safely, lied to the police, and tried to get out of it by reminding them several times just how important she is.

Losing all your income for one mistake is a bit excessive in my view.

That’s right. Let’s all shed some crocodile tears for Justice Resnick. I always thought that serving as a judge was a privilege bestowed upon her by the citizens of Ohio. I guess I was wrong. Little did I suspect that it was her unimpeachable right to be a justice, regardless of her own inability to follow the laws that she is called on to interpret and enforce.

Bullshit. Give her the three-day prison sentence and send her packing.

Bob, I did a quick look at the Ohio statutory code and it does appear that a DUI in Ohio is not a minor misdemeanor because you could receive some jail time. According to the Ohio statutes, a minor misdemeanor is something where the fine does not exceed $100.

A DUI is a criminal prosecution, meaning you might have to bring your toothbrush because you are going to spend a night or more in jail.

How ironic. The author of so many pro-prosecution decisions now the victim of her own circumstances. What a discrace. She makes Ohio the laughingstock of the whole country. She should resign to restore dignity to the court.