The Franklin County Commissioners yesterday sent a letter to Ohio’s two Senators, Sherrod Brown and Rob Portman asking that they follow the precedent set by the Senate in 2016 by not considering or approving any nominee to the Supreme Court with less than two weeks before Ohioans begin voting in the presidential election. The text of the letter is below:
September 24, 2020
The Honorable Rob Portman The Honorable Sherrod Brown
448 Russell Senate Office Building 503 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510 Washington, DC 20510
Dear Senators Portman and Brown:
We are living and governing in extraordinary times. Franklin County’s 1.3 million residents are facing health and economic crises brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, civil unrest, deeply entrenched and systemic racial injustices, and fear and distrust of government institutions. One of the most important things that we can do in such a time is to conduct ourselves in ways that encourage faith in our institutions, especially by ensuring the rules apply equally to everyone and that Americans have a say in their government.
Therefore, we are moved as elected leaders in Ohio’s largest county to write and implore you to oppose efforts to move forward with a Supreme Court nomination mere days before voting begins in a consequential election and amidst a once-a-century pandemic. Like many this year, we have labored to keep our responses focused on the health and safety of our residents. But if ever there was a partisan year, it is this one, and indeed the integrity of the court, the credibility of any candidate, and Americans’ trust in their government is at stake.
We instead respectfully ask for your continued partnership in addressing the urgent challenges facing our residents—their health, their jobs, and their safety—and continue to focus on the response to this pandemic and economic recession. Please allow the voices of our residents to be heard and reflected in their participation in this historic election, which will undoubtedly provide important insight to inform the consequential question of a nomination to the highest court in the land.
John O’Grady Marilyn Brown Kevin L. Boyce
President