COLUMBUS – A Republican lawmaker has proposed an unprecedented step to remove Ohio Supreme Court Justice Bill O'Neill from the bench as the Democrat runs for governor.

Rep. Niraj Antani, R-Miamisburg, says O'Neill has violated the Ohio Code of Judicial Conduct, which states: "Upon becoming a candidate in a primary or general election for a nonjudicial elective office, a judge shall resign from judicial office."

O'Neill is acting like a candidate by announcing his bid in a press event and expressing opinions on the legalization of recreational marijuana and raising the minimum wage, Antani wrote in a resolution he introduced Thursday to help boot O'Neill from office.

"Justice O'Neill's actions have shaken the public's trust in our judiciary and he must be removed immediately," Antani said.

The Ohio Constitution allows lawmakers to remove a judge from office, if they have support from two-thirds of each chamber. Republicans control two-thirds of the Ohio House and nearly three-fourths of the Ohio Senate, but it's not clear they would take the unprecedented step.

If successful, it would be the first time Ohio lawmakers have removed a judge from the bench, Antani said. Several judges were impeached in the 1800s but never removed.

"This sounds like something Donald Trump would do," Ohio Democratic Party Chairman David Pepper said of Antani's proposal. "This is a question about what the judicial canons allow, and there is a court process that exists to resolve that. The legislature interfering with the independent court system is not appropriate."

O'Neill said he doesn't consider himself a candidate for governor until he files the paperwork in February. O'Neill recused himself on Nov. 3 from all future cases to avoid "even the appearance of impropriety," he said in a statement.

Then, he took a jab at the GOP-controlled Legislature.

"My announcement included a meaningful plan to address the opioid epidemic sweeping the state of Ohio, something the Ohio Legislature has failed to do. I can understand why some members of the Ohio General Assembly do not want me to be governor," O'Neill said.

O'Neill is the sole Democrat on the Ohio Supreme Court. Republican Gov. John Kasich would select any replacement.

O'Neill is the fifth Democrat to enter the race to replace term-limited Kasich. Other candidates include former state Rep. Connie Pillich, state Sen. Joe Schiavoni, former U.S. Rep. Betty Sutton and Dayton Mayor Nan Whaley. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau director Rich Cordray and former Cincinnati Mayor Jerry Springer have not announced bids.