Chief Justice Thomas J. Moyer has been elected to the Ohio Supreme Court four times. That's at least two times too many, he figures.

Moyer, who now is closing out his final term, is leading a quest to depoliticize the state's highest court by replacing competitive elections every six years with a far less frequent "retention" election in which the justice doesn't face an opponent.

The so-called merit selection process would take most of the money out of judicial elections, Moyer said yesterday, which in turn would combat the perception that judicial rulings can be bought.

A diverse committee of lawyers and nonlawyers would recommend three candidates for Supreme Court seats to the governor, who would make the final call. Then, the sitting justice would stand in a retention election with no opponent in two years.

Moyer, the League of Women Voters Ohio Education Fund and the Ohio State Bar Association are sponsoring a conference this week with political and other leaders to build support for the idea. Merit selection last appeared on the ballot in 1987, when it was soundly defeated.

"It's clear that the sentiment is much different than it was seven, eight, 10 years ago," Moyer said.

jnash@dispatch.com