Ohio League of Women Voters Urges Display of Trailblazing Female Justice’s Portrait

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — The Ohio League of Women Voters is calling on the state’s highest court to move a portrait of former Chief Justice Maureen O’Connor from a soon-to-open basement exhibit back to its original, more prominent location in the courthouse.

In a sharply worded letter laced with sarcasm, League Executive Director Jen Miller appealed to the Ohio Supreme Court justices on Friday, questioning the decision to feature the portrait of Ohio’s first female chief justice as the centerpiece of a new Women in the Law display in the building’s basement.

“Situating the exhibit so far from the history-making action happening above ground also sends a powerful message about the distance women must travel to reach success,” Miller wrote. “It invites visitors to consider the fortitude required to make it out of the darkness of exclusion.”

The portrait by artist Paul Wyse originally stood in the Grand Concourse, placed among an otherwise all-male lineup. However, it was recently removed following internal disagreements over its placement. One complicating factor is the portrait’s unique walnut frame, which is freestanding and not designed for wall mounting.

Miller proposed that the court commission a reproduction of the portrait for the basement exhibit and return the original to its previous upstairs location.

Despite her criticism, Miller praised the court — which leans conservative — for supporting the exhibit at a time when many institutions are backing away from public commitments to diversity and inclusion. She noted that the League plans to help promote the exhibit broadly.

O’Connor, a Republican, made waves during her tenure by frequently siding with Democrats on key decisions, including rulings that struck down GOP-drawn congressional and legislative maps as unconstitutional. Her bipartisan approach drew criticism from her own party. After retiring in 2024 due to age restrictions, O’Connor became a prominent advocate for redistricting reform, backing a failed constitutional amendment that sought to change the state’s political mapmaking process.

According to the court, the Women in the Law exhibit will be located in the Thomas J. Moyer Judicial Center’s “historic ground floor.” The display aims to honor not only O’Connor but also other trailblazing women in Ohio’s legal system.

Among them are Florence Allen, the first woman to serve on the Ohio Supreme Court and the first woman appointed to a federal appeals court; and Melody Stewart, the first Black woman elected to the high court. Interactive displays are also planned to spotlight former justices including Alice Robie Resnick, Yvette McGee Brown, and Evelyn Stratton.