COLUMBUS, Ohio — SEPTEMBER 20: The Gavel outside the Supreme Court of the State of Ohio, September 20, 2023, at 65 S. Front Street, Columbus, Ohio. (Photo by Graham Stokes for Ohio Capital Journal. Republish photo only with original article.)
The Ohio Supreme Court has cleared the path for Steven Kraus to run for the Ohio House — sidestepping difficult questions about the former state lawmaker’s comeback bid. Kraus was removed from office in 2015 after a felony theft conviction, but he has since gotten that case sealed by the court.
State law bars ex-felons from holding office unless their conviction is “reversed, expunged or annulled.”
Kraus insisted his sealed case is the same as an expunged case, because sealing the conviction was the only option available to him. Dennis Schreiner, an Erie County resident who challenged Kraus’ candidacy, argued the two things are not, and have never been, interchangeable.
But the unanimous Supreme Court decided to avoid the question, “because Schreiner has not shown that the office of state representative involves substantial management or control over the property of a state agency, political subdivision, or private entity.”