Plain Dealer: Gov. Strickland's Ohio Supreme Court appointment "blatantly political."

The editors at the Plain Dealer write:

The sudden death of Chief Justice Thomas Moyer this month gave Gov. Ted Strickland a chance to pass on politics as usual and do something classy -- something that might have indicated he sees the Ohio Supreme Court as more than just another political prize.

Instead, Strickland took the predictable route of appointing Franklin County Probate Judge Eric Brown to serve out the last eight months of Moyer's term. Brown was already going to be the Democratic nominee for chief justice in November, recruited for the race by Strickland. Now Democrats will be able to ask voters to retain Chief Justice Brown when he runs against GOP Justice Maureen O'Connor this fall.

...

Strickland's decision was politically understandable and utterly predictable. So was his defense that he was just doing what other governors had done. None of that makes it any less disappointing.

(Source: Editorial, Cleveland Plain Dealer, 4/18/10)