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Bill O'Neill
Justice of the Ohio Supreme Court
In office January 2, 2013 – January 26, 2018
Preceded by	Robert Cupp
Succeeded by	Mary DeGenaro
Judge of the Ohio Eleventh District Court of Appeals
In office February 9, 1997 – June 30, 2007
Preceded by	Joseph E. Mahoney
Succeeded by	Timothy P. Cannon
Personal details
Born	William Michael O'Neill (1947-05-06) May 6, 1947 (age 77) Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.
Political party	Democratic
Education	Ohio University (BA) Cleveland State University (JD)

William Michael O'Neill (born May 6, 1947) is an American lawyer, judge and political figure. He was elected to the Ohio Supreme Court in 2012, for a term beginning January 2013. He served as an appellate judge on the Ohio Eleventh District Court of Appeals for 10 years. Twice, O'Neill was the Democratic nominee for U.S. Representative in Ohio's 14th congressional district. He announced on October 29, 2017, as a candidate for Ohio Governor in the 2018 election. On December 8, 2017, he announced he would resign from the Supreme Court on January 26, 2018.

Education and military service

O'Neill graduated from Cleveland Heights High School in 1965 and Ohio University in 1969, at which point he joined the U.S. Army. He earned the Bronze Star in Vietnam and retired from the military in 2001 as a lieutenant colonel in the Ohio National Guard. With the help of the G.I. Bill, O'Neill graduated from the Cleveland State University College of Law in 1980. He also graduated from Huron School of Nursing as a registered nurse.

Political campaigns

1996 Ohio Court of Appeals campaign

In 1996, O'Neill won a seat on the Ohio Eleventh District Court of Appeals with about 50% of the vote. He served from 1997 to 2007, when he resigned to run for Congress.

2004 Ohio Supreme Court campaign

In a 2004 special election to finish the term of an Ohio Supreme Court justice who resigned, O'Neill lost to Terrence O'Donnell by 21%.

2006 Ohio Supreme Court campaign

In 2006, O'Neill ran against O'Donnell again for a full-term on the Ohio Supreme Court. O'Neill lost again, by over 17%.

2008 Congressional campaign

O'Neill lost in his 2008 bid for Ohio's 14th congressional district seat to incumbent Steve LaTourette by nearly 20%.

• Race ranking and details from CQ Politics
• Campaign contributions from OpenSecrets

2010 congressional campaign

On February 6, 2010, O'Neill announced that he would be running again as the Democratic nominee for Ohio's 14th congressional district against LaTourette. O'Neill stated during his campaign his desire to expand the Greater Cleveland Rapid Transit rail system. O'Neill lost the election by over 33%.

2012 Ohio Supreme Court campaign

In 2012, for the third time, O'Neill ran for the Ohio Supreme Court. He won a two-way primary against Fanon Rucker, a judge on the Hamilton County Municipal Court. O'Neill received 72% of the vote and carried all but one of Ohio's 88 counties. In the general election, O'Neill defeated incumbent Robert Cupp by four percent. O'Neill ran on a budget of just $4000 from his personal funds, a campaign he called "no money from nobody" and that was highlighted in a YouTube video with his twin sons.

2018 Ohio gubernatorial campaign

On October 29, 2017, O'Neill announced that he would join the Democratic primary for Ohio governor. During his announcement, he laid out a platform of minimum wage increases, tax incentives for solar power, mental health care expansion and marijuana legalization in Ohio. Less than a week later he announced that he will recuse himself from new Supreme Court cases and will resign by the February 7, filing deadline due to potential ethical conflicts.

Controversy

On November 17, 2017, O'Neill stirred controversy by posting on Facebook regarding allegations of sexual assault against U.S. Senator Al Franken. He referred to those calling for Franken to resign as "dogs of war" and decried a "national feeding frenzy" against age-old sexual indiscretions. O'Neill went on to claim that he had been in sexual relationships with approximately fifty women. In response to these posts, his communications director resigned from his campaign. Multiple state officials, including Ohio Chief Justice Maureen O'Connor, former state representative and fellow gubernatorial candidate Connie Pillich, Dayton mayor and fellow gubernatorial candidate Nan Whaley, and Lieutenant Governor Mary Taylor, criticized O'Neill's comments, with Pillich and Whaley calling for him to resign from his position as justice. O'Neill initially called for his critics to "lighten up", saying that he intended to "elevate the discussion" on sexual assault. However, on November 19, he issued an apology for his remarks.

Professional life

O'Neill worked as a civil rights lawyer, small business owner, and union organizer. He is a registered nurse in the pediatric emergency department at Hillcrest Hospital in Mayfield Heights, Ohio. He is also an adoptive parent.

References

1. ^ Meet Bill | O Neill '08 for Congress
2. ^ Marshall, Aaron (November 8, 2012). "Ohio Supreme Court candidate who shunned donations ends up victorious". The Plain Dealer.
3. ^ Wendel, Kim (November 11, 2012). "Chagrin Falls: Veterans honored on Veteran's Day". WKYC.
4. Alcorn, William K. (November 6, 1996). "Campbell's wins Logan's unexpired term". The Vindicator.
5. The Plain Dealer, November 6, 1996 - APPEALS COURT JOB GOES TO O'NEILL
6. "Elections & Voting". Justice of the Supreme Court - Unexpired Term: November 2, 2004. Ohio Secretary of State. Retrieved November 22, 2012.
7. "Elections & Voting". Justice of the Ohio Supreme Court Term beginning January 1, 2007: November 7, 2006. Ohio Secretary of State. Retrieved November 22, 2012.
8. "Elections & Voting: Representative to Congress: November 4, 2008". U.S. Representative - District 14. Ohio Secretary of State. Retrieved November 22, 2012.
9. FEDERAL ELECTIONS 2008. Federal Elections Commission. Washington, DC. July 2009
10. "Bill O'Neill announces another run against U.S. Rep. LaTourette » Local News » The Star Beacon; Ashtabula, Ohio". Starbeacon.com. 2010-02-06. Retrieved 2010-08-23.
11. "VIDEO : OhioDaily Interviews 14th Congressional Candidate Bill O'Neill | OhioDaily". Ohiodailyblog.com. 1999-02-22. Retrieved 2010-08-23.
12. "Home | Bill O'Neill for Congress | 2010". Oneill.publishpath.com. Retrieved 2010-08-23.
13. "Elections & Voting: Representative to Congress: November 2, 2010". U.S. Representative - District 14. Ohio Secretary of State. Retrieved November 22, 2012.
14. "Election results 2012: Votes for Ohio Supreme Court and Court of Appeals judges". Cleveland.com (Associated Press). November 12, 2012.
15. "Democratic Ohio justice Bill O'Neill launches governor run". WBNS-10TV Columbus, Ohio | Columbus News, Weather & Sports. 2017-10-29. Retrieved 2017-11-03.
16. "Justice running for governor removes himself from future cases". The Blade. 2017-11-03. Retrieved 2017-11-03.
17. "Top US judge pilloried for sexual boasts". BBC News. 2017-11-17. Retrieved 2017-11-18.
18. ^ WHIO Breaking News Staff (November 17, 2017). "Justice Bill O'Neill posts sexual history on Facebook". WHIO-TV. Retrieved November 17, 2017.
19. Heisig, Eric (November 17, 2017). "Ohio Supreme Court chief justice condemns Bill O'Neill's Facebook post on sexual escapades". Cleveland.com.
20. "Connie Pillich on Twitter". Twitter. November 17, 2017.
21. "Mary Taylor on Twitter". Twitter. November 17, 2017.
22. Richardson, Seth A. (November 17, 2017). "Bill O'Neill on his sexually-charged Facebook post: 'Lighten up folks'". cleveland.com.
23. Richardson, Seth A. (November 18, 2017). "Bill O'Neill offers apology for Facebook post describing past sexual encounters". Cleveland.com. Retrieved November 19, 2017.
24. "Ohio governor candidate issues second apology for remarks about sexual history". The Hill. November 19, 2017. Retrieved November 20, 2017.
25. "William M. O'Neill » Supreme Court of Ohio". www.supremecourt.ohio.gov. Retrieved 2024-03-27.

External links

• Bill O'Neill for Governor 2018
• Campaign contributions at OpenSecrets.org
• "Justice William M. O'Neill". The Supreme Court of Ohio and the Ohio Judicial System. Retrieved 2013-06-25.
• Financial information (federal office) at the Federal Election Commission
• Profile at Vote Smart

• 1947 births
• Activists from Ohio
• American civil rights lawyers
• Cleveland State University College of Law alumni
• Judges of the Ohio District Courts of Appeals
• Lawyers from Cleveland
• Living people
• Ohio Democrats
• Justices of the Ohio Supreme Court
• Ohio University alumni
• Politicians from Cleveland
• Cleveland Heights High School alumni