Richard Cordray

Richard Cordray: A Record of Standing Up for Ohioans

Ohioans have repeatedly turned to Richard Cordray, an attorney recognized nationally for his record as an elected officeholder and in the courtroom, to stand up for them in the public arena.

In 2006, nearly 2.2 million Ohio voters elected Cordray as State Treasurer to help clean up financial scandals in state government. Cordray quickly found more than $1.3 million owed to the taxpayers, including $1,400 spent by the previous treasurer to prepare her own resume and hundreds of thousands of dollars in incorrect bank billings. He required extensive background checks and annual ethics training of his employees. Cordray restored an interest-rate-reduction program for small businesses and farmers which is now pumping $1 million every business day into jobs that will stay in our home towns, and he proposed a Veterans Bonus for this generation of Ohio troops like that offered in many other states.

Cordray's good government track record has been recognized nationally: in 2008 he received both a Financial Services Champion award from the U.S. Small Business Administration and the Government Service Award from NeighborWorks America. American City & County Magazine selected him for the prestigious national "County Leader of the Year" in 2005.

Cordray's accomplished legal career is evidence of his qualification for the job of the people's lawyer. He is the only candidate in the Attorney General's race who has worked in that office: as the state's first Solicitor General, he was a senior adviser to the Attorney General and handled the toughest cases before state and federal courts. Cordray worked with local prosecutors and sheriffs to create the Criminal Law Project, which helped keep convicted criminals behind bars.

A graduate of the University of Chicago Law School, Cordray clerked for two U.S. Supreme Court Justices: Byron White and Anthony Kennedy. He has since argued six cases in the nation's highest court: something only a handful of attorneys outside of Washington, D.C. can say. In keeping with his reputation for apolitical legal excellence, two cases were by appointment of the Justice Department under George W. Bush and two by appointment of the Bill Clinton Justice Department. There, Cordray successfully defended law enforcement and national security officers, including former U.S. Secretary of State Warren Christopher. As a result, law enforcement officers who are sued while performing their duties in good faith do not face bankruptcy or personal hardship to defend themselves.

Another hard-won, precedent-setting U.S. Supreme Court victory, Brown v. Legal Foundation, saved legal aid funding across the country. Cordray worked on this litigation pro bono for six years before ultimately winning over the Supreme Court. The Ohio Legal Assistance Foundation gave him the Presidential Award, their highest recognition, for his tenacious service.

During his 20 years of private practice, Cordray has repeatedly stood up for civil rights and social justice: he went to court as Solicitor General to prevent the Ku Klux Klan from erecting a cross on the statehouse lawn, handled voting rights and anti-discrimination cases, and defended the state's ethnic intimidation statute. During his 15 years teaching at Ohio State University's Moritz School of Law he mentored countless students--many who today work in the Attorney General's office, legislature and the courts.

Cordray has considerable experience making the law as well as defending it. As a state legislator he wrote laws to make stalking a crime, reform death penalty juries and bring community service learning to Ohio high schools.

The bedrock of Rich's beliefs is the intersection of public service and education: he enjoys talking about his job to school children as much as they do asking about his experience as a five-time undefeated Jeopardy champion. Rich's mother, a teacher and social worker, and his father, who worked with the MRDD population his whole career, taught him to respect and be grateful for others who work on our behalf in the public sector. Rich remains in touch with many of his grade school and high school teachers, who were powerful and positive influences in his life and critical to the college scholarships he later won.

His unmatched credibility in the courtroom, record as an award-winning manager, proven civic leadership and advocacy at the highest levels for those with the least are evidence that Richard Cordray will be an outstanding Attorney General for the people of Ohio.