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William O'Neill (Ohio judge)
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{{Short description|American judge}} {{about||the former member of the Ohio House of Representatives|Bill O'Neill (Ohio politician)|the former Ohio Governor|C. William O'Neill}} {{Infobox officeholder |name = Bill O'Neill |image = William O'Neill (Ohio jurist) 2006-10-03.jpg |office = Justice of the [[Ohio Supreme Court]] |term_start = January 2, 2013 |term_end = January 26, 2018 |predecessor = [[Robert Cupp]] |successor = [[Mary DeGenaro]] |office1 = Judge of the [[Ohio Eleventh District Court of Appeals]] |term_start1 = February 9, 1997 |term_end1 = June 30, 2007 |predecessor1 = Joseph E. Mahoney |successor1 = Timothy P. Cannon |birth_name = William Michael O'Neill |birth_date = {{birth date and age|1947|5|6}} |birth_place = [[Cleveland]], [[Ohio]], U.S. |death_date = |death_place = |party = [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]] |education = [[Ohio University]] ([[Bachelor of Arts|BA]])<br>[[Cleveland State University College of Law|Cleveland State University]] ([[Juris Doctor|JD]]) }} '''William Michael O'Neill''' (born May 6, 1947) is an [[Law of the United States|American lawyer]], [[judge]] and [[Politics of the United States|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 Party (United States)|Democratic]] nominee for [[United States House of Representatives|U.S. Representative]] in {{ushr|Ohio|14}}. He announced on October 29, 2017, as a candidate for [[Ohio Governor]] in the [[Ohio gubernatorial election, 2018|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 [[United States Army|U.S. Army]]. He earned the [[Bronze Star Medal|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.<ref name=meetbill>[http://www.oneill08.com/meet-bill Meet Bill | O Neill '08 for Congress<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> He also graduated from Huron School of Nursing as a [[registered nurse]].<ref name=PD>{{cite news|last=Marshall|first=Aaron|title=Ohio Supreme Court candidate who shunned donations ends up victorious|url=http://www.cleveland.com/open/index.ssf/2012/11/ohio_supreme_court_candidate_w.html|newspaper=The Plain Dealer|date=November 8, 2012}}</ref><ref name=WKYC>{{cite news|last=Wendel|first=Kim|title=Chagrin Falls: Veterans honored on Veteran's Day|url=http://www.wkyc.com/news/article/268956/3/Chagrin-Falls-Veterans-honored-on-Veterans-Day|newspaper=WKYC|date=November 11, 2012}}</ref> ==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.<ref>{{cite news|last=Alcorn|first=William K.|title=Campbell's wins Logan's unexpired term|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=H7dIAAAAIBAJ&sjid=04EMAAAAIBAJ&pg=3349,3113881&dq=william+o-neill+appeals&hl=en|newspaper=The Vindicator|date=November 6, 1996}}</ref><ref>The Plain Dealer, November 6, 1996 - ''APPEALS COURT JOB GOES TO O'NEILL''</ref> He served from 1997 to 2007, when he resigned to run for Congress.<ref name=meetbill /> ===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%.<ref>{{cite web|title=Elections & Voting|url=http://www.sos.state.oh.us/sos/elections/Research/electResultsMain/2004ElectionsResults/04-1102JusticeSupremeCourtUnexpired.aspx|work=Justice of the Supreme Court - Unexpired Term: November 2, 2004|publisher=Ohio Secretary of State|accessdate=November 22, 2012}}</ref> {| class="sortable wikitable" |- ! Candidate ! Party ! Notes ! Votes ! Percentage |- |Terrence O'Donnell |{{Party shading/Republican}} | Republican |Incumbent |2,560,609 |60.50% |- |William O'Neill |{{Party shading/Democratic}} | Democratic | |1,860,801 |39.50% |- |} ===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%.<ref>{{cite web|title=Elections & Voting|url=http://www.sos.state.oh.us/sos/elections/Research/electResultsMain/2006ElectionsResults/06-1107SupremeCourt010107.aspx|work=Justice of the Ohio Supreme Court Term beginning January 1, 2007: November 7, 2006|publisher=Ohio Secretary of State|accessdate=November 22, 2012}}</ref> {| class="sortable wikitable" |- ! Candidate ! Party ! Notes ! Votes ! Percentage |- |Terrence O'Donnell |{{Party shading/Republican}} | Republican |Incumbent |1,903,702 |58.67% |- |William O'Neill |{{Party shading/Democratic}} | Democratic | |1,341,258 |41.33% |- |} ===2008 Congressional campaign=== {{see also|United States House of Representatives elections in Ohio, 2008#District 14}} O'Neill lost in his 2008 bid for Ohio's 14th congressional district seat to incumbent Steve LaTourette by nearly 20%.<ref>{{cite web|title=Elections & Voting: Representative to Congress: November 4, 2008|url=http://www.sos.state.oh.us/sos/elections/Research/electResultsMain/2008ElectionResults/congress110408.aspx|work=U.S. Representative - District 14|publisher=Ohio Secretary of State|accessdate=November 22, 2012}}</ref> {| class="sortable wikitable" |- ! Candidate ! Party ! Notes ! Votes ! Percentage |- |[[Steve LaTourette]] |{{Party shading/Republican}} | Republican |Incumbent |188,488 |58.32% |- |William O'Neill |{{Party shading/Democratic}} | Democratic | |125,214 |38.74% |- |[[David Macko]] |{{Party shading/Libertarian}} | Libertarian | |9,511 |2.94%<ref>''FEDERAL ELECTIONS 2008.'' Federal Elections Commission. Washington, DC. July 2009</ref> |} *[http://www.cqpolitics.com/wmspage.cfm?docID=district-OH-14 Race ranking and details] from [[Congressional Quarterly|CQ Politics]] *[http://www.opensecrets.org/races/summary.php?id=OH14&cycle=2008 Campaign contributions] from [[OpenSecrets]] ===2010 congressional campaign=== {{See also|United States House of Representatives elections in Ohio, 2010#District 14*}} On February 6, 2010, O'Neill announced that he would be running again as the [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]] nominee for {{ushr|Ohio|14}} against LaTourette. O'Neill stated during his campaign his desire to expand the [[RTA Rapid Transit|Greater Cleveland Rapid Transit]] rail system.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.starbeacon.com/local/local_story_037182658.html |title=Bill O'Neill announces another run against U.S. Rep. LaTourette Β» Local News Β» The Star Beacon; Ashtabula, Ohio |publisher=Starbeacon.com |date=2010-02-06 |accessdate=2010-08-23}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ohiodailyblog.com/content/video--ohiodaily-interviews-14th-congressional-candidate-bill-oneill |title=VIDEO : OhioDaily Interviews 14th Congressional Candidate Bill O'Neill | OhioDaily |publisher=Ohiodailyblog.com |date=1999-02-22 |accessdate=2010-08-23}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://oneill.publishpath.com/ |title=Home | Bill O'Neill for Congress | 2010 |publisher=Oneill.publishpath.com |date= |accessdate=2010-08-23}}</ref> O'Neill lost the election by over 33%.<ref>{{cite web|title=Elections & Voting: Representative to Congress: November 2, 2010|url=http://www.sos.state.oh.us/sos/elections/Research/electResultsMain/2010results/20101102congress.aspx|work=U.S. Representative - District 14|publisher=Ohio Secretary of State|accessdate=November 22, 2012}}</ref> {| class="sortable wikitable" |- ! Candidate ! Party ! Notes ! Votes ! Percentage |- |[[Steve LaTourette]] |{{Party shading/Republican}} | Republican |Incumbent |149,878 |64.92% |- |William O'Neill |{{Party shading/Democratic}} | Democratic | |72,604 |31.45% |- |John Jelenic |{{Party shading/Libertarian}} | Libertarian | |8,383 |3.63% |} ===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.<ref>{{cite news|title=Election results 2012: Votes for Ohio Supreme Court and Court of Appeals judges|url=http://www.cleveland.com/election-results/index.ssf/2012/11/election_results_2012_votes_fo.html|newspaper=Cleveland.com (Associated Press)|date=November 12, 2012}}</ref> 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. {| class="sortable wikitable" |- ! Candidate ! Party ! Notes ! Votes ! Percentage |- |William O'Neill |{{Party shading/Democratic}} | Democratic | |2,040,043 |52% |- |Robert Cupp |{{Party shading/Republican}} | Republican |Incumbent |1,860,801 |48% |- |} ===2018 Ohio gubernatorial campaign=== {{see also|Ohio gubernatorial election, 2018}} 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.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.10tv.com/article/democratic-ohio-justice-bill-oneill-launches-governor-run|title=Democratic Ohio justice Bill O'Neill launches governor run|date=2017-10-29|work=WBNS-10TV Columbus, Ohio {{!}} Columbus News, Weather & Sports|access-date=2017-11-03}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.toledoblade.com/Courts/2017/11/03/Justice-running-for-governor-removes-himself-from-future-cases.html|title=Justice running for governor removes himself from future cases|date=2017-11-03|work=The Blade|access-date=2017-11-03|language=en-US}}</ref> ====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.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-42032731|title=Top US judge pilloried for sexual boasts|date=2017-11-17|work=BBC News|access-date=2017-11-18|language=en-GB}}</ref> In response to these posts, his communications director resigned from his campaign.<ref name="reveals">{{Cite news|url=http://www.whio.com/news/crime--law/justice-bill-neill-posts-revealing-facebook-rant/Aovj2OjyyuxTaMqhgi77wK/|title=Justice Bill O'Neill posts sexual history on Facebook|author=WHIO Breaking News Staff|date=November 17, 2017|accessdate=November 17, 2017|publisher=[[WHIO-TV]]}}</ref> Multiple state officials, including Ohio Chief Justice [[Maureen O'Connor]],<ref>{{cite web |publisher=Cleveland.com |title=Ohio Supreme Court chief justice condemns Bill O'Neill's Facebook post on sexual escapades |url=http://www.cleveland.com/court-justice/index.ssf/2017/11/ohio_supreme_court_chief_justi_1.html |first=Eric |last=Heisig |date=November 17, 2017 }}</ref> former state representative and fellow gubernatorial candidate [[Connie Pillich]],<ref>{{cite web |url=https://twitter.com/ConniePillich/status/931588303035490304 |title=Connie Pillich on Twitter |publisher=Twitter |date =November 17, 2017}}</ref> [[Dayton, Ohio|Dayton]] mayor and fellow gubernatorial candidate [[Nan Whaley]],<ref name="reveals"/> and Lieutenant Governor [[Mary Taylor (Ohio politician)|Mary Taylor]],<ref>{{cite web|publisher=Twitter |title=Mary Taylor on Twitter |date=November 17, 2017 |url=https://twitter.com/MaryTaylorOH/status/931582031791783936}}</ref> criticized O'Neill's comments, with Pillich and Whaley calling for him to resign from his position as justice.<ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.cleveland.com/open/index.ssf/2017/11/bill_oneill_on_his_sexually-ch.html |publisher=cleveland.com |title=Bill O'Neill on his sexually-charged Facebook post: 'Lighten up folks' |first=Seth A. |last=Richardson |date=November 17, 2017}}</ref> O'Neill initially called for his critics to "lighten up", saying that he intended to "elevate the discussion" on sexual assault.<ref>{{cite web |last=Richardson |first=Seth A. |url=http://www.cleveland.com/open/index.ssf/2017/11/bill_oneill_offers_apology_for.html |title=Bill O'Neill offers apology for Facebook post describing past sexual encounters |publisher=Cleveland.com |date=November 18, 2017 |accessdate=November 19, 2017}}</ref> However, on November 19, he issued an apology for his remarks.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/361147-ohio-governor-candidate-apologizes-for-insensitive-remarks-about-sexual/ |title=Ohio governor candidate issues second apology for remarks about sexual history |date=November 19, 2017 |work=The Hill |access-date=November 20, 2017}}</ref> ==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]].<ref name=meetbill /><ref name=PD/><ref name=WKYC/> He is also an adoptive parent.<ref>{{Cite web |title=William M. O'Neill Β» Supreme Court of Ohio |url=https://www.supremecourt.ohio.gov/courts/judicial-system/supreme-court-of-ohio/justices-1803-to-present/william-oneill/ |access-date=2024-03-27 |website=www.supremecourt.ohio.gov}}</ref> ==References== {{reflist|30em}} ==External links== {{Wikiquote}} *[http://www.oneillforgovernor.org Bill O'Neill for Governor 2018] *[http://opensecrets.org/races/summary.asp?ID=OH14&Cycle=2010 Campaign contributions] at [[OpenSecrets.org]] *{{cite web | url=https://www.supremecourt.ohio.gov/SCO/formerjustices/bios/oneillWM.asp |publisher=The Supreme Court of Ohio and the Ohio Judicial System | title=Justice William M. O'Neill |accessdate=2013-06-25}} * {{CongLinks | congbio= | votesmart=102705 | fec=H8OH14087 | congress= }} {{s-start}} {{s-legal}} {{s-bef|before=[[Robert Cupp]]}} {{s-ttl|title=Justice of the [[Ohio Supreme Court]]|years=2013β2018}} {{s-aft|after=[[Mary DeGenaro]]}} {{s-end}} {{authority control}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Oneill, William}} [[Category:1947 births]] [[Category:Activists from Ohio]] [[Category:American civil rights lawyers]] [[Category:Cleveland State University College of Law alumni]] [[Category:Judges of the Ohio District Courts of Appeals]] [[Category:Lawyers from Cleveland]] [[Category:Living people]] [[Category:Ohio Democrats]] [[Category:Justices of the Supreme Court of Ohio]] [[Category:Ohio University alumni]] [[Category:Politicians from Cleveland]] [[Category:Cleveland Heights High School alumni]]
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