Woman who made history in US also built her career in Serbia: We spoke about elections with Justice Brunner

"While in the US, a trip organized by the FPC, I had the opportunity to visit the Supreme Court in Ohio along with journalists from 19 other countries and learn more about the role of judges in the election process"

Although there is a little over six months left until the presidential election in the US, primaries have been held in most states and it is already certain that Donald Trump will be the Republican candidate, while Joe Biden will represent Democrats.

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Given that the US is made up of a number of federal states, organizing such elections is not an easy task at all. Courts often play a key role in ensuring the integrity and regularity of the electoral process, as well as in protecting citizens' electoral rights.

While in the US, a trip organized by the FPC, I had the opportunity to visit the Supreme Court in Ohio along with journalists from 19 other countries and learn more about the role of judges in the election process, says our reporter Marija Milutinovic.

Although the interior of the building was magnificent, one woman, who welcomed us there, managed to overshadow everything. The judge in question is Jennifer Brunner, who amazed us with her impressive career, but also with her charisma and humility. She is not only a successful jurist, but a proud grandmother who, in addition to numerous awards, keeps photos of her children and grandchildren in her office.

Brunner is the first woman Secretary of State in the history of Ohio, but she is no stranger to our country, either.

• Before becoming an Ohio Supreme Court justice, you spent several months working in Serbia. Can you tell us what you were doing in our country?

In 2012 I began working as a consultant for USAID of the United States Department of State. I worked in Belgrade for 2 and a half months over a 2-year period on the project called “Judicial Reform, Government Accountability” with Srbija’s Anti-Corruption Agency on the then new campaign finance reform program of monitors. These monitors worked in the 2012 presidential election of President Nikolic. After the election, I worked with the agency on how to present the findings of the data collected by the monitors of the election.

I also worked with the Association of Misdemeanor Judges after the second judicial reform. Finally, I worked with the Ministry of Justice on programs for customer service and public communication, interviewing all of the department chiefs.

• What did you like most in Serbia, do you plan om visiting again?

What I liked most in Srbija was the people. They were kind to me, and I loved to watch parents and grandparents with their children as I walked to work in old Beograd—the adults were kind and loving to their children. The people I worked with welcomed me into their homes and helped me see more of Srbija, like Novi Sad, which is also a very beautiful city.

And they also shared with me how their parents worked hard during the war in the 1990’s to keep life as normal as possible for them, which must have been very hard. I do plan to visit Serbia and Belgrade again. I will never forget the wonderful experiences they gave me.

• A few years ago you won a prestigious award, can you tell us what kind of award it is and who else has won it?

In 2008 I was awarded the John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award. It is an international award given by the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum recognizing elected public servants who show courage in doing what is for the good of the public, even when not politically popular. I received that award when I served as Ohio’s secretary of state, the first woman elected to that position in the state’s history, for my role in managing with fairness the 2008 presidential election in Ohio.

Other recipients include U.S. Presidents Barack Obama, George H.W. Bush and Gerald Ford, U.S. Rep. John Lewis, Kofi Annan, U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and the public servants of September 11.

• A few years ago you won a prestigious award, can you tell us what kind of award it is and who else has won it?

United States Supreme Court Justices are appointed by the US President and confirmed by the US Senate, but in many states like Ohio, state supreme court justices are elected. Based on my experiences working in the rule of law in my country, in Europe, Egypt and South Asia, my belief is that the most important issue is that judicial powers are truly separated from the other branches of government.

When politics creeps into judicial activity, the public loses trust in its role and the use of its power. Many states in my country elect their judges because people like to have a say in who they are. But in the end, however they get there, judges must be objective, impartial and unbiased. They must work as public servants with a loyalty first to the rule of law and to the people who are served by it.

They are obligated to use their best judgment toward that end. So, whether they are elected or appointed, the process must not affect the work and the ends of justice. I have seen benefits and abuses when it comes to each type of system.

• You have a lot of experience working as a judge. During your career you have worked on many challenging cases. Which court processes were the most difficult for you? Are you proud of the outcome of those trials?

In my country, we have the death penalty for the cruelest forms of murder. This penalty has been mandated by the legislature, so we as judges must follow these laws when the crime calls for it. Making sure that innocent people are not put to death is the most difficult task, among many difficult tasks involved in judicial review.

• Presidential elections will be held in the US in November. It is certain that the candidates will be current President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump, against whom many court proceedings are being conducted even at the federal level. How is it possible for someone in such a situation to be a presidential candidate?

It is unfortunate for the United States that one of our presidential candidates is under indictment for both federal and state crimes. In our country’s criminal justice system, every criminal defendant is presumed innocent, unless proved guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

If former President Trump is convicted, he will be the first former president to have been convicted of any crime in our country’s more than 200-history. This is unprecedented and it is difficult to predict how Americans would accept this. Some polling has shown that if he is convicted, American public approval of his candidacy would decrease. Recently, he has made efforts to delay his trials until after the election.

• You have a lot of experience working as a judge. During your career you have worked on many challenging cases. Which court processes were the most difficult for you? Are you proud of the outcome of those trials?

I believe the American public and the character of the American people will be tested in this presidential election. There is much division between Americans at this time as there is among citizens of many other countries. This election will be a test for American democracy. Its outcome will affect the future of the United States and its continuity as a democracy as we know it.

Even when times are hard, Americans have historically shown that, when we work together, we can make our lives better by respecting our differences and our institutions and not taking for granted our freedoms. The test remains before us.

(Telegraf.rs)