Strickland's first veto struck down by the state's top court
8/1/2007COLUMBUS Gov. Ted Strickland s first-day show of defiance by vetoing a bill his predecessor intended to become law was struck down this morning by the Ohio Supreme Court.
By a vote of 5-2, the court has ordered Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner to accept the bill setting limits on some product liability actions and prohibiting the filing of broad-based lawsuits like the one filed by Toledo against the lead-based paint industry.
The decision came down to calculating when the 10-day time limit begins for a governor to make a decision on a bill passed by the General Assembly. The calculation begins at the time the General Assembly adjourned for the session, not the date the bill was physically presented to the governor, the court majority ruled.
The decision represents a blow to the united Democratic front that Mr. Strickland, Ms. Brunner, and Attorney General Marc Dann presented on their first day in office in January.
Troubled by some aspects of the bill but liking others, Republican Gov. Bob Taft had opted to allow the bill to become law without his signature and filed it with the secretary of state s office. Reasoning that the 10th day for action was Mr. Strickland s first day in office, Ms. Brunner returned the bill to the new governor at his request and he vetoed it, backed with the legal opinion of the new attorney general that the action was legal.
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