Colleen O'Toole
Republican | Ohio
Candidate Profile
Conservative
BIOGRAPHY
Name
Colleen O'Toole
Party
Republican
Election Year
2016
Election
Primary
Race
Supreme Court Justice - term beginning Jan. 1
Incumbent
No
Links
EDUCATION
Cleveland Marshall College of Law, Cleveland, Ohio, JD, 1990
John Carroll University, Cleveland, Ohio, BA, 1984
WORK & MILITARY
(Candidate did not provide)
AFFILIATIONS
National Association of Judicial Interpreters and, Member and Speaker, Ohio Judicial Conference
Member and Leader, Ohio Judicial Conference Criminal Rules and Proced, Member
St. Gabriel Catholic Church, Concord, Ohio, Member, Ohio Republican Party
Member, Jo Ann Davidson Leadership Institute, Member
NAACP, Lake County Ohio, Leader, Multiple Bar Associations
POLITICAL OFFICES HELD
Judge, Ohio Eleventh District Court of Appeals, 2013-Present
Judge, Ohio Eleventh District Court of Appeals, 2005-2011
POLITICAL OFFICES SOUGHT
Court Of Appeals, Ohio, 2002
Juvenile Court Judge, Ohio, 1998
Race
ENDORSEMENTS
CONSERVATIVE (1)
Citizens for Community Values
REPORTED BY CANDIDATE (2)
Clermont County Republican Party
Several Endorsements Pending
OTHER INFORMATION
QUESTIONNAIRE
OTHER IMPORTANT ISSUES
Election of judges by the people for a definite term of office is the best way to select judges.
Strongly Agree
Which current justice on the U.S. Supreme Court best reflects your judicial philosophy?
Scalia
Which of the following U.S. presidents best reflects your political philosophy?
Reagan
The founders established pure democracy in the Constitution because they believed that it is the best form of government to ensure the safety and equitable treatment of all citizens.
Strongly Agree
Free enterprise and the right to private property turn mankind's natural self-interest into the most productive economic system there is.
Strongly Agree
George Washington's comment that “Religion and morality are the essential pillars of civil society” is still true today.
Strongly Agree
Islamic law (Sharia) does not pose a threat to the United States and its Constitution.
Disagree
Based on the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution, please arrange the following entities, starting with the highest source of authority, and continue the list in descending order of authority, skipping any that do not apply: Academia, Congress, Constitution, God, Industry, Media, Professional Sports, Supreme Court, Voters.
1) God; 2) The Constitution; 3) Voters; Tied for 4th) Congress and the Supreme Court as they are co-equal branches of government.
What in the nature of mankind caused America’s Founders to carefully define, separate, and limit powers in the Constitution?
The bible teaches us that man is fallen from a state of grace. Therefore, lodging complete power in any single individual encourages that fallen nature. As Lord John Dalberg-Acton noted: Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.
What is the proper use of legislative history in interpreting statutory law?
The proper use of legislative history when interpreting statutes is to determine the actual intent of the legislators and the real purpose for the law. The proper role of the judiciary is to apply the law as written and not to legislate from the bench.
What specific text in the Declaration of Independence provides the critical basis for individual rights and the form of government guaranteed in the United States Constitution?
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.
In which partisan primary election did you most recently vote (e.g. Democratic, Republican, etc.)?
Republican Primary 2014
The U.S. Constitution and my state constitution should be interpreted as living documents, rather than use a strict constructionist or originalist philosophy.
Strongly Disagree
In light of the U.S. Supreme Court decision in Obergefell v. Hodges allowing members of the same sex to marry, which justice’s opinion in that case most closely approximates your understanding of marriage?
Justice Alito's Opinion
Briefly describe your spiritual beliefs and values.
I am a Christian and a life-long Catholic. I have raised all my children in the Catholic faith. All my children have received their sacraments. I went to Catholic elementary school and attended a Catholic/Jesuit University. I practice the philosophy of servant leadership.
Considering all issues (social, economic, national security, etc.), which of these best describes you?
Very Conservative
Please defend your answer to the previous question by referencing your publicly available track record.
Attached are several cites to cases that demonstrate my conservative values: Ciganik v. York,2013-Ohio-5834 State v. Hancovsky, 2015-Ohio-2602; State v. Combs, 2005-Ohio-4211; State v. Moore, 2010-Ohio-2407; State v. DiNardo, 2015-Ohio-1061; State v. Smith, 2005-Ohio-4899
E-mail address and phone number for voters to reach you.
judgecolleenotoole@gmail.com
Additional comment from candidate:
Thank you for your interest in my campaign. Please contact me if you would like to arrange for an in-person interview. Judge Colleen Mary O'Toole
