Sharon Kennedy sworn in as Supreme Court justice; Credits hard work and support from Second Amendment advocates for her victory

by Chad D. Baus

Standing before a packed audience in the main courtroom of the Moyer Judicial Center, Sharon Kennedy was sworn in Friday, December 7 as Ohio's 154th Supreme Court justice.

As reported by Gongwer News Service, Justice Kennedy, who had served as a domestic relations judge on the Butler County Court of Common Pleas, upset anti-gun incumbent Democrat Yvette McGee Brown last month.

From left: Sean Maloney, BFA Region Leader; Linda Walker, BFA Central Ohio Chair;
Ohio Supreme Court Justice Sharon Kennedy; Jim Irvine, BFA Chairman;
Dean Reick, BFA Marketing & Communications Director

"The people of Ohio have bestowed upon me the greatest honor in my life by giving me the opportunity to serve this great state," Justice Kennedy said after being sworn in. "I promise you, I will not let you down."

Recently, Gongwer News reported that Kennedy, a 2012 Buckeye Firearms Association endorsee, told a gathering of the Ohio Republican Party State Central Committee that hard work and support from gun rights advocates across the state paved the way to her victory.

Supreme Court Justice-elect Sharon Kennedy told committee members that they shouldn't believe claims that she defeated incumbent Democratic Justice Yvette McGee Brown only because she "was born to a famous name." Instead, the Butler County Court of Common Pleas judge credited her victory to working non-stop and running a race "unlike any other at the Supreme Court level."

She drove 100,000 miles campaigning across the state, she said, and her campaign distributed 200,000 flyers and mailers. In particular, she said her campaign targeted gun shows across the state to highlight her support of the Second Amendment. "I worked every gun show, every weekend, when there wasn't something else going on across this great state," she said.

Kennedy also reportedly told the committee that her experience as a police officer and her pledge to not legislate from the bench also resonated well with Ohio voters.

Chad D. Baus is the Buckeye Firearms Assocation Vice Chairman.