COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Ohio Supreme Court Justice Pat DeWine has stepped aside from a hot-button case over how Ohio calculated funding for a now-defunct online charter school.
DeWine filed his recusal in the case of the Electronic Classroom of Tomorrow, five months after it was argued. The son of Republican gubernatorial candidate Mike DeWine didn't state a reason and wasn't required to.
The unusual move likely means six others who heard the case will either just decide it or reargue it. A court spokesman declined comment Monday on the impact of DeWine's decision.
DeWine was one of three Republican justices who received contributions from ECOT founder Bill Lager. Justice Judith French recused herself last year and was replaced by Democratic Judge W. Scott Gwin from the Canton-based Fifth District Court of Appeals.
Pat DeWine previously served on the Cincinnati City Council and Hamilton County Board of Commissioners.
