The Enquirer had planned to hold a debate on Thursday lunchtime for the Hamilton County Prosecutor’s race between incumbent Republican Joe Deters and his Democratic opponent Fanon Rucker. However, the Deters campaign declined an invitation to participate.
In lieu of debate among candidates, Enquirer Opinion and Engagement Editor Kevin Aldridge interviewed Rucker on key issues of the race including bail reform, the death penalty, criminal justice reform and police relief, and his civil service records. The interview was broadcast live on Cincinnati.com and The Enquirer’s Greater Cincinnati Politics Facebook page.
Rucker was born and raised in Gary, Indiana, the son of a district attorney and social worker. He graduated from the University of Cincinnati College of Law and became a Cincinnati prosecutor seeking justice for crime victims. After 7 years as a prosecutor, Rucker joined a private practice as a civil rights attorney. As a lawyer, he has litigated before federal and regional courts at both litigation and appeal level. After several years as a lawyer, Rucker was appointed a judge in the Hamilton County Municipal Court in 2007.
As a judge, he has directed more than 200,000 cases, including several hundred civil and criminal proceedings against banks and juries. In 2019, Judge Rucker decided to run for Hamilton County Attorney General.
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