View source for Joe Deters

{{Like resume|date=February 2023}}
{{Short description|American judge (born 1957)}}
{{Infobox officeholder
|name         = Joe Deters
|image        = 
|office       = Justice of the [[Ohio Supreme Court]]
|term_start   = January 2, 2025
|term_end     = 
|predecessor  = [[Melody J. Stewart]]
|successor    = 
|appointer1   = [[Mike DeWine]]
|term_start1  = January 3, 2023
|term_end1    = December 10, 2024
|predecessor1 = [[Sharon L. Kennedy]]
|successor1   = [[Daniel R. Hawkins]]
|office2      = [[Ohio State Treasurer|Treasurer of Ohio]]
|governor2    = [[Bob Taft]]
|term_start2  = January 11, 1999
|term_end2    = January 5, 2005
|predecessor2 = [[Ken Blackwell]]
|successor2   = [[Jennette Bradley]]
|birth_name   = Joseph Theodore Deters
|birth_date   = {{birth date and age|1957|4|4}}
|birth_place  = [[Cincinnati]], [[Ohio]], U.S.
|death_date   = 
|death_place  = 
|party        = [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]]
|education    = [[University of Cincinnati]] ([[Bachelor of Arts|BA]], [[Juris Doctor|JD]])
}}
'''Joseph Theodore Deters''' (born April 4, 1957) is an American politician and lawyer, who currently serves as Justice on the [[Ohio Supreme Court]], since 2023.

== Early life, family, and education ==
Deters is the oldest of eight children born to Nancy and Donald Deters. His grandfather, Daniel Tehan, was a longtime Hamilton County Sheriff.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Coolidge|first=Sharon|title=Nancy Deters, mom of eight, stressed public service|url=https://www.cincinnati.com/story/news/history/lives-remembered/2014/03/13/nancy-deters-mom-eight-stressed-public-service/6367673/|access-date=2021-03-16|website=The Enquirer|language=en-US}}</ref>

Deters graduated from [[St. Xavier High School (Ohio)|St. Xavier High School]] in 1975. He graduated with a Bachelor's degree from the [[University of Cincinnati]] in 1979, and his Juris Doctor from the [[University of Cincinnati College of Law]] in 1982.<ref name="Link">{{Cite web|last=Link|first=E.-Gov|title=Biography of Joseph T. Deters|url=https://hcpros.org/about-the-prosecuting-attorneys-office/biography-of-joseph-t-deters/|access-date=2021-03-16|website=Hamilton County Prosecutor|language=en-US}}</ref>

==Career==
Deters began his career in public service in 1982 as an Assistant Hamilton County Prosecutor. Six years later in 1988 he was elected as Hamilton County's Clerk of Courts. He returned to the Hamilton County Prosecutor's office in 1992 after being appointed and later elected Prosecuting Attorney. He was re-elected Prosecuting Attorney in 1996.

In 1999, Deters was sworn in as Ohio's 44th [[Ohio State Treasurer|State Treasurer]] where he was responsible for collecting, managing, and investing more than $11 billion in assets for the State of Ohio. During his tenure, the Ohio Treasurer's Office received 23 national awards for innovation and technology and earned interest on investments faster than any prior administration. 

In the fall of 2004, Deters' commitment to his young family and love for his hometown brought him back to Cincinnati where he once again ran for Hamilton County Prosecuting Attorney. In an historic write-in campaign for Prosecutor, Deters won 60% of the vote.  On January 2, 2005, he was soon sworn in yet again as Hamilton County Prosecutor and was subsequently re-elected in 2008, 2012, 2016, and 2020, making him Hamilton County's longest tenured prosecuting attorney.  

In late 2022, Governor Mike DeWine appointed Deters to the Ohio Supreme Court. He was sworn in on January 7, 2023, as the 163rd Justice of the Supreme Court of Ohio where he proudly remains today. <ref>https://www.supremecourt.ohio.gov/courts/judicial-system/supreme-court-of-ohio/justices-overview/joseph-deters/</ref> 

As Prosecutor, Deters has managed high-profile cases that have attracted national and international attention. In 1987, he led the investigation of [[Donald Harvey]], a convicted serial killer who pleaded guilty to murdering 37 people while working as a hospital orderly.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Grasha |first1=Kevin |title=Serial killer Donald Harvey: 'You think I played God, and I did.' |url=https://www.cincinnati.com/story/news/2017/03/30/serial-killer-donald-harvey-you-think-played-god-and-did/99833394/ |website=Cincinnati Enquirer |access-date=12 July 2021}}</ref> Approximately 30 years later, he prosecuted his fifth serial killer, [[Samuel Little]], who murdered two Cincinnati women over the course of a 30-year killing spree.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Crutchfield |first1=Ambriehl |title=Alleged Serial Killer Indicted by Hamilton and Franklin County Prosecutors |url=https://www.wvxu.org/post/alleged-serial-killer-indicted-hamilton-and-franklin-county-prosecutors#stream/0 |website=WVXU |date=7 June 2019 |access-date=12 July 2021}}</ref> In total, Deters has prosecuted six serial killers.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Grasha |first1=Kevin |last2=Knight |first2=Cameron |title=Deters: Accused spree killer said 'he would have continued to kill' if police didn't stop him |url=https://www.cincinnati.com/story/news/2020/05/29/deters-seeking-death-penalty-against-man-spree-killing-case/5282096002/ |website=Cincinnati Enquirer |access-date=12 July 2021}}</ref>

In 2012, Deters was critical of Xavier University for expelling [[Dezmine Wells]], one of its basketball players, due to a [[rape]] allegation. Prior to the school holding a hearing on the matter, a [[grand jury]] had refused to prosecute Wells.  Deters, who has been described as being tough on crime, said the prosecutor's office had conducted a thorough investigation —maintaining that the accusation lacked any credibility and the decision "wasn't even close."<ref name=Dispatch/><ref name="SportingNews">{{cite web | url=http://www.sportingnews.com/ncaa-basketball/story/2012-08-28/dez-wells-expelled-xavier-sexual-assault-no-charges | title=Dez Wells' expulsion from Xavier 'fundamentally unfair,' prosecutor says | publisher=SportingNews | accessdate=5 February 2015 | author=McCourcy, Mike | archive-date=2015-02-06 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150206060624/http://www.sportingnews.com/ncaa-basketball/story/2012-08-28/dez-wells-expelled-xavier-sexual-assault-no-charges | url-status=dead }}</ref> He said that the school proceedings had egregiously violated Wells' right to a fair hearing by putting the [[Legal burden of proof|burden of proof]] on Wells instead of his accuser, had assigned incompetent staff to examine the forensic evidence, and prevented Wells from presenting evidence which would have proven his innocence. After learning of Xavier's decision, he called for the university to reexamine Wells' expulsion.<ref name="Dispatch">{{cite web | url=http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2014/11/25/few-rights-for-either-side.html | title=Few rights for either side in college judicial procedures | publisher=Columbus Dispatch | accessdate=5 February 2015}}</ref>

On July 29, 2015, Deters oversaw the indictment of University of Cincinnati police officer Ray Tensing in the killing of [[Shooting of Samuel DuBose|Sam DuBose]] during a traffic stop. He called the killing "totally unwarranted" and "senseless."<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/07/30/us/university-of-cincinnati-officer-indicted-in-shooting-death-of-motorist.html|title=University of Cincinnati Officer Indicted in Shooting Death of Samuel Dubose|newspaper=The New York Times|date=29 July 2015|last1=Pérez-Peña|first1=Richard}}</ref> His comments regarding the killing received some criticism from the public.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/ct-ohio-fatal-shooting-samuel-dubose-20150807-story.html|title=Ohio prosecutor's comments in fatal traffic stop shooting of Sam DuBose draw critics|work=The Chicago Tribune|date=August 7, 2015|accessdate=August 7, 2015}}</ref> Many critics also pointed to the published comments of the editorial board of the Cincinnati Enquirer which had previously criticized Deters for his remarks about a violent assault earlier that month which he had decided not to charge as a racially motivated crime.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cincinnati.com/story/opinion/editorials/2015/07/16/editorial-deters-soulless-rhetoric-troubling/30267335/|title=Editorial: Deters' 'soulless' rhetoric troubling|work=The Cincinnati Enquirer|date=July 16, 2015|accessdate=April 4, 2016}}</ref> 

Nevertheless, the office worked quickly to complete the investigation, filing charges just 10 days after the initial shooting.<ref>{{cite web |title=Transcript of Deters' Press Conference |url=https://www.cincinnati.com/story/news/2015/07/29/transcript-deters-press-conference/30856359/ |website=Cincinnati Enquirer |access-date=12 July 2021}}</ref> However, a divided jury failed to reach a verdict on two separate occasions, prompting Deters’ announcement that the County would not try the case a third time.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Strickley |first1=Bob |last2=Grasha |first2=Kevin |title=Joe Deters: No third Ray Tensing trial |url=https://www.cincinnati.com/story/news/2017/07/17/joe-deters-announce-decision-third-ray-tensing-trial-tuesday/485078001/ |website=Cincinnati Enquirer |access-date=12 July 2021}}</ref>

Following a violent 2021 Fourth of July weekend in Cincinnati, which included a shooting at a downtown park, Deters announced that the office would no longer offer plea bargains in any cases involving gun violence or possession of illegal firearms. He added, “People must be held accountable for their choices. As a community, we must stand together and say ‘enough is enough.’”<ref>{{cite web |last1=Grasha |first1=Kevin |title=Prosecutor Joe Deters declares 'war on illegal guns,' says no plea deals in many gun cases. |url=https://www.cincinnati.com/story/news/2021/07/06/prosecutor-joe-deters-declares-war-illegal-guns-cincinnati/7879774002/ |website=Cincinnati Enquirer |access-date=12 July 2021}}</ref>

In February 2023, Xavier University announced that Deters would be serving as their inaugural Justice in Residence, an unpaid, voluntary position intended to engage students in dialogue as well as to mentor students interested in pursuing careers in law.<ref>{{cite web  | url=https://www.xavier.edu/now/2023/deters-to-serve-as-justice-in-residence-at-xavier/|title= Joe Deters to Join Xavier University as 'Justice In Residence'|work=Xavier University|date=February 22, 2023|accessdate=April 15, 2023}} </ref>

==Political positions==
Throughout his tenure, Deters has gained a reputation for being a “tough on crime” prosecutor, believing in strict punishments for violent crime, including the death penalty. He has maintained this stance, even after a Vatican official rebuked him, a Roman Catholic, for pursuing the death penalty for serial killer [[Anthony Kirkland]]. Kirkland pled guilty to the aggravated murder of two teenage girls and two adult women committed between 2006 and 2009. Kirkland burned the bodies of all four of his victims, leaving their charred remains in remote or wooded areas. <ref>{{cite web |last1=Coolidge |first1=Sharon |title=Deters unswayed after Jesuit leader's rebuke on death penalty |url=https://www.cincinnati.com/story/news/2018/08/20/vatican-priest-embarrassed-scandalized-prosecutor-deters-death-penalty-stance/1045682002/ |website=Cincinnati Enquirer |access-date=12 July 2021}}</ref>  Responding to the official, Deters said:

{{quote| My dear friends who are priests don't understand what we're dealing with. There is evil in this world and there comes a point where society needs to defend itself.}}

As Prosecutor, Deters has repeated that he took an oath to uphold Ohio law, which includes the death penalty, and that he doesn't get to personally decide which laws to enforce. To critics, he states, “If the citizens of Ohio want the law changed, they should contact their state representative and let him or her know. I have no quarrel with that.”<ref>{{cite web |last1=Thompson |first1=Ann |title=Average Cost of Death Penalty in Hamilton County is Over $1 Million, Group Finds |url=https://www.wvxu.org/post/average-cost-death-penalty-hamilton-county-over-1-million-group-finds#stream/0 |website=WVXU |date=8 December 2020 |access-date=12 July 2021}}</ref>

However, since assuming office, Deters has also supported numerous [[diversion program]]s, aiming to help “low-level, nonviolent offenders avoid jail time, find rehabilitation, and get their lives back on track.”<ref>{{cite web |last1=Deters |first1=Joe |title=As prosecutor, I have the courage to do what is right. |url=https://www.cincinnati.com/story/opinion/2020/10/28/deters-prosecutor-have-courage-do-what-right/6048416002/ |website=Cincinnati Enquirer |access-date=12 July 2021}}</ref> In 2010, he helped establish Ohio's first ever drug court in Hamilton County.  Other programs his office have sponsored include Mental Health Court, Juvenile Diversion Program, and CHANGE Court, a specialized court serving those charged with prostitution and related offenses.<ref>{{cite web |title=Biography of Joseph T. Deters |url=https://hcpros.org/about-the-prosecuting-attorneys-office/biography-of-joseph-t-deters/ |website=Hamilton County Prosecuting Attorney's Office, Joseph T. Deters |access-date=12 July 2021}}</ref>

==Affiliations==
Deters is a former member of the Cincinnati Bar Association, National District Attorneys Association, and Ohio Prosecuting Attorneys Association. He previously served on the University of Cincinnati Board of Trustees, Ohio Organized Crime Commission, and the Southern Ohio Leukemia Foundation.<ref name="Link"/>

==Personal life==
He has four children, two step-children and two grandchilden. He has been married to Tanya O'Rourke since October 2021. https://www.ohiobar.org/about-us/media-center/osba-news/member-spotlights/member-spotlight-special-edition-justice-joseph-t-deters/

==Electoral history==

=== 1988 - Clerk of Courts Election ===
In 1988, Deters was appointed Hamilton County Clerk of Courts and sought election to the office that year. He campaigned on the platform to revitalize and modernize the office, which he had previously described as operating in “the Dark Ages.”<ref name="smartvoter.org">{{cite web |title=Full Biography for Joseph T. Deters |url=http://www.smartvoter.org/1998nov/oh/hm/vote/deters_j/bio.html |website=Smart Voter |publisher=League of Women Voters of California Education Fund |access-date=12 July 2021}}</ref>  Upon winning election, he first adopted a zero-tolerance policy concerning theft in the office, aggressively pursuing employees who embezzled funds. He also ceased the practice of political payroll deductions, which, at the time, had been prevalent within many county offices across Ohio. As Clerk, he administered a yearly budget of more than 10 million dollars.<ref name="smartvoter.org"/>

=== 1992 - Hamilton County Prosecuting Attorney Election ===
In 1992, Deters was appointed Hamilton County Prosecutor and sought election to the office later that year. As a candidate, he led the ticket for administrative offices, promising to implement policies and innovations that would elevate the office to a higher level, including a Victims Assistance Program, an Environmental Prosecution Unit, and a Public Corruption Unit.<ref name="smartvoter.org"/> He easily defeated democrat Robert Gutwiller, winning 64 percent of the vote.<ref>{{cite web |title=1992 Hamilton County Election Results |url=https://votehamiltoncountyohio.gov/results/ |website=Hamilton County Board of Elections |access-date=12 July 2021}}</ref>

=== 1996 - Hamilton County Prosecuting Attorney Election ===
In 1996, Deters ran for re-election unopposed, capturing over 250,000 votes.<ref>{{cite web |title=1996 Hamilton County Election Results |url=https://votehamiltoncountyohio.gov/results/ |website=Hamilton County Board of Elections |access-date=12 July 2021}}</ref>

=== 1998 - Ohio State Treasurer Election ===
With endorsements from the Ohio Fraternal Order of Police and Ohio Certified Public Accountants, Deters sought to capture the position of State Treasurer, promising to ensure the safety of public monies and diversify the state’s debt portfolio. He defeated Democrat John Donofrio, earning 70 percent of the vote.<ref name="State Offices for Hamilton County">{{cite web |title=State Offices for Hamilton County, OH |url=http://www.smartvoter.org/1998nov/oh/hm/state.html |website=Smart Voter |publisher=League of Women Voters of California Education Fund |access-date=12 July 2021}}</ref>

=== 2002 - Ohio State Treasurer Election ===
In 2002, Deters battled Democrat Mary O. Boyle, a former State Legislator, for re-election to the Treasurer seat. He pledged to continue the process of digitizing the office and receiving and distributing money electronically. He won re-election with 53 percent of the vote.<ref name="State Offices for Hamilton County"/>

=== 2004 - Hamilton County Prosecuting Attorney Election ===
Deters entered the 2004 Prosecutor race after then-Hamilton County Prosecutor Michael K. Allen withdrew amid allegations of sexual harassment. Given that this was also a presidential election year, Deters felt it was crucial to enter so that Republicans could retain viability and legitimacy within the region.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Salvato |first1=Albert |title=Affair and Lawsuit Stop the Career of a Promising Prosecutor |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2004/09/18/us/affair-and-lawsuit-stop-the-career-of-a-promising-prosecutor.html |website=The New York Times |date=18 September 2004 |access-date=12 July 2021}}</ref>  A write-in candidate, Deters faced democrat Fanon Rucker, who previously served as an assistant prosecutor for the City of Cincinnati. Deters won with 57 percent of the vote.<ref>{{cite web |title=County Contests for Hamilton County, OH |url=http://www.smartvoter.org/2004/11/02/oh/hm/county.html |website=Smart Voter |publisher=League of Women Voters of California Education Fund |access-date=12 July 2021}}</ref>

=== 2008 - Hamilton County Prosecuting Attorney Election ===
In 2008, Deters ran for re-election unopposed, again capturing over 250 thousand votes.<ref>{{cite web |title=County Contests for Hamilton County, OH |url=http://www.smartvoter.org/2008/11/04/oh/hm/county.html |website=Smart Voter |publisher=League of Women Voters of California Education Fund |access-date=12 July 2021}}</ref>

=== 2012 - Hamilton County Prosecuting Attorney Election ===
Facing former City of Cincinnati assistant prosecutor Janaya Trotter, Deters campaigned on the promise to continue removing violent offenders from the streets and ensuring the safety of Hamilton County residents.<ref>{{cite web |title=Joseph T. Deters Answers Questions |url=http://www.smartvoter.org/2012/11/06/oh/hm/vote/deters_j/questions.html |website=Smart Voter |publisher=League of Women Voters of California Education Fund |access-date=12 July 2021}}</ref> Deters defeated Trotter, garnering 59 percent of the vote.<ref>{{cite web |title=Prosecutor; County of Hamilton Voter Information |url=http://www.smartvoter.org/2012/11/06/oh/hm/race/hmp/ |website=Smart Voter |publisher=League of Women Voters of California Education Fund |access-date=12 July 2021}}</ref>

=== 2016 - Hamilton County Prosecuting Attorney Election ===
In his bid for a sixth term, Deters faced Alan Triggs, a former assistant prosecutor and Magistrate.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Pierce |first1=David |title=Hamilton County prosecutor candidate drops out, replaced by Alan Triggs |url=https://www.wlwt.com/article/hamilton-county-prosecutor-candidate-drops-out-replaced-by-alan-triggs/3561278 |website=WLWT |date=5 January 2016 |access-date=12 July 2021}}</ref> Deters campaigned on a similar platform, aggressively prosecuting violent criminals while seeking opportunities for diversion programs, where appropriate. He won with 54 percent of the vote.<ref>{{cite web |title=Election Results |url=https://local12.com/resources/ftptransfer/wkrc/elections/HAMILTON.html |website=Local 12 WKRC |access-date=12 July 2021}}</ref>

=== 2020 - Hamilton County Prosecuting Attorney Election ===
A re-match of the 2004 write-in campaign, Deters faced and defeated Fanon Rucker in the 2020 Election. Calling it the “most satisfying” victory of his political career, Deters won after his campaign targeted voters who had become dissatisfied with then-Republican President [[Donald Trump]], overcoming the president’s 65,000-vote deficit in Hamilton County.<ref name="cincinnati.com">{{cite web |last1=Williams |first1=Jason |title=PX column: Republican Joe Deters' campaign targeted 21,000 Trump-resisting suburban women. Here's what happened. |url=https://www.cincinnati.com/story/news/politics/columnists/politics-extra/2020/11/07/2020-election-how-rob-portman-helped-local-republican-congressman-win/6166701002/ |website=Cincinnati Enquirer |access-date=12 July 2021}}</ref>

=== 2024 - Supreme Court of Ohio Election ===
Having been appointed by Governor Mike DeWine in late 2022, Deters was sworn in on January 7, 2023, as Ohio's 163rd Justice of the Supreme Court. In November 2024 he sought a full six-year term running against incumbent Justice Melody Stewart. He won with 55 percent of the vote. His term expires on 1/2/2031. https://ballotpedia.org/Joseph_Deters; https://ohiocapitaljournal.com/2024/11/05/republicans-win-all-three-ohio-supreme-court-races-increasing-hold-over-court-to-6-1-ap-projects/

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20110620182010/http://www.hcpros.org/about-us/biography-joseph-t-deters Hamilton County Prosecutor Biography]
*[https://www.ourcampaigns.com/CandidateDetail.html?CandidateID=3701 Campaign Data via Our Campaigns]

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{{s-bef|before=[[Ken Blackwell]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] nominee for [[Ohio State Treasurer|Treasurer of Ohio]]|years=1998, 2002}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Sandra O'Brien]]}}
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{{s-ttl|title=[[Ohio State Treasurer|Treasurer of Ohio]]|years=1999–2005}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Jennette Bradley]]}}
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{{s-ttl|title=Justice of the [[Ohio Supreme Court]]|years=2023–2024}}
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{{s-bef|before=[[Melody J. Stewart]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=Justice of the [[Ohio Supreme Court]]|years=2025–present}}
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{{s-end}}

{{Current Ohio statewide political officials}}
{{OhioTreasurers}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Deters, Joe}}
[[Category:1957 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:20th-century American lawyers]]
[[Category:21st-century American judges]]
[[Category:21st-century American lawyers]]
[[Category:American prosecutors]]
[[Category:County district attorneys in Ohio]]
[[Category:Justices of the Supreme Court of Ohio]]
[[Category:Ohio lawyers]]
[[Category:Ohio Republicans]]
[[Category:Ohio state court judges]]
[[Category:Politicians from Cincinnati]]
[[Category:St. Xavier High School (Ohio) alumni]]
[[Category:State treasurers of Ohio]]
[[Category:University of Cincinnati College of Law alumni]]