Case Title: State ex rel. Summit Cty. Republican Party Executive Commt. v. Brunner

Citation: 2008-Ohio-904

Docket Number: 

State: ohio

Court: Ohio Supreme Court

Date: 2008-03-04T00:00:00Z

Document:
[Cite as State ex rel. Summit Cty. Republican Party Executive Commt. v. Brunner, 117 Ohio 
St.3d 1207, 2008-Ohio-904.] 
 
 
THE STATE EX REL. SUMMIT COUNTY REPUBLICAN PARTY EXECUTIVE 
COMMITTEE v. BRUNNER, SECY. OF STATE. 
[Cite as State ex rel. Summit Cty. Republican Party Executive Commt. v. 
Brunner, 117 Ohio St.3d 1207, 2008-Ohio-904.] 
Motion for emergency writ, stay, or other immediate relief in an original action 
challenging secretary of state’s rejection of county executive committee’s 
recommended appointment to the board of elections — Cause does not 
warrant emergency writ, stay, or immediate relief — Motion denied. 
(No. 2008-0478 ─ Submitted March 4, 2008 ─ Decided March 4, 2008.) 
IN MANDAMUS, PROHIBITION, AND OTHER WRIT. 
ON RELATOR’S MOTION FOR EMERGENCY WRIT, STAY, 
OR OTHER IMMEDIATE RELIEF. 
__________________ 
 
Per Curiam. 
{¶ 1} This is an original action for a writ of mandamus to compel 
respondent, Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner, to appoint Brian K. Daley to the 
Summit County Board of Elections as recommended by relator, Summit County 
Republican Party Executive Committee, and to reject the secretary’s appointment 
of Donald Varian to serve on the board of elections, a writ of prohibition to 
prevent the secretary from appointing Varian to serve on the board of elections, 
and a peremptory other writ to stay the appointment of Varian pending the 
adjudication of this case. 
{¶ 2} The committee has filed a motion for emergency writ, stay, or 
other immediate relief in this case, which it has captioned as an expedited election 
matter under S.Ct.Prac.R. X(9). 
SUPREME COURT OF OHIO 
2 
{¶ 3} We deny the motion.  This cause is not an expedited election case 
under S.Ct.Prac.R. X(9).  That rule provides for an accelerated briefing and 
evidence schedule in “an original action relating to a pending election * * * if the 
action is filed within 90 days prior to the election.”  This case does not relate to a 
specific pending election.  Instead, it relates to a political party county executive 
committee’s second recommendation for the appointment of a person to the board 
of elections and the secretary’s rejection of that recommendation and subsequent 
appointment of another person to the board of elections. 
{¶ 4} Moreover, we are not persuaded that this cause warrants the 
requested emergency writ, stay, or other emergency relief.  Notably, we have 
resolved comparable extraordinary-writ cases challenging the decision of a 
secretary of state without any similar emergency relief.  Cf. State ex rel. 
Cuyahoga Cty. Democratic Party Executive Commt. v. Taft (1993), 67 Ohio St.3d 
1, 615 N.E.2d 615; State ex rel. Pike Cty. Republican Executive Commt. v. Brown 
(1989), 43 Ohio St.3d 184, 540 N.E.2d 245.   
 
{¶ 5} Based on the foregoing, we deny relator’s motion for emergency 
writ, stay, or other immediate relief.  We do, however, issue a schedule for the 
presentation of briefs and evidence for a resolution of relator’s claims on the 
merits. 
Motion denied. 
 
MOYER, C.J., and LUNDBERG STRATTON, O’CONNOR, O’DONNELL, 
LANZINGER, and CUPP, JJ., concur. 
 
PFEIFER, J., dissents. 
__________________ 
 
Grendell & Simon Co., L.P.A., and Timothy J. Grendell, for relator. 
 
Marc Dann, Attorney General, and Richard N. Coglianese and Damian W. 
Sikora, Assistant Attorneys General, for respondent. 
______________________