俄亥俄州最高法院裁定：曼宁法官可留在萨米特县选票上
俄亥俄州最高法院10月9日宣布，驳回萨米特县民主党主席马克·德里格（Mark Derrig）对共和党法官内森·曼宁（Nathan Manning）候选资格的挑战，裁定曼宁可以继续作为第九区上诉法院候选人出现在萨米特县选票上。
这场资格之争源于今年夏季的一次任命。时任第九区上诉法院法官唐娜·卡尔（Donna Carr）于5月31日退休，州长迈克·德温（Mike DeWine）7月任命曼宁接任该席位。随后，曼宁以现任法官身份竞选连任，而他的民主党对手是萨米特县法院书记官塔维亚·加隆斯基（Tavia Galonski）。
德里格的挑战理由是：曼宁此前已在党内初选中赢得俄亥俄州众议院第52选区的共和党提名，因此不能再被政党委员会推举为另一个职位的候选人。他援引的是《俄亥俄州修订法典》第3513.31(I)条最后一句：“如果某人已在初选中获得提名……政党的授权委员会不得再选定并认证他人为该党候选人。”
俄亥俄州务卿弗兰克·拉罗斯（Frank LaRose）此前已表态曼宁可以留在选票上，案件随即升级至州最高法院。法院解释称，该法条的立法本意是针对“现任者在初选前辞职、导致无人赢得初选提名”的情形——此时政党可以自行选定候选人；但如果候选人已通过初选并获胜，政党就不能无视初选结果、另行指定他人参加大选。
这一裁决为萨米特县的司法选举扫清了最后的法律障碍。曼宁与加隆斯基的对决将按期在大选中举行，选民将决定第九区上诉法院这一席位的归属。
Ohio Supreme Court Rules Judge Nathan Manning Can Stay on Summit County Ballot
COLUMBUS — The Ohio Supreme Court announced on Oct. 9 that it had rejected a challenge to Republican Judge Nathan Manning's candidacy brought by Summit County Democratic Party Chairman Mark Derrig, ruling that Manning can remain on Summit County ballots as a candidate for the Ninth District Court of Appeals.
The eligibility fight traces back to a summer appointment. Judge Donna Carr retired from the Ninth District Court seat on May 31, and Gov. Mike DeWine appointed Manning to the vacancy in July. Manning is now running to retain the seat, facing Democratic opponent Tavia Galonski, the Summit County Clerk of Courts.
Derrig argued that Manning was ineligible because he had already won his party's primary for the race to represent Ohio House District 52, so the party committee could not certify him for another office. He cited the last sentence of Ohio Revised Code 3513.31(I): if a person has been nominated in a primary election, the party's authorized committee shall not select and certify a different person as the party candidate.
Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose had already said Manning could remain on the ballot, and the dispute was escalated to the Supreme Court. The court explained that the statute is designed for situations in which the officeholder resigns before the primary, leaving no primary winner — in which case the party may select a candidate. But if a candidate seeks the office through the primary and wins it, the party cannot ignore the winner and pick its own candidate for the general election.
The ruling clears the last legal hurdle in Summit County's judicial race. The Manning–Galonski contest will proceed as scheduled, with voters deciding who holds the Ninth District Court of Appeals seat.
图片来源：w_lemay 摄，CC0（Wikimedia Commons）
