In 1991, Douglas reportedly got into an argument with fellow Republican, Justice J. Craig Wright, over golf tee times. Wright said that Douglas knocked him to the floor with a blow. The Dayton Daily News reported that Douglas wrestled Wright onto a desktop.
Other reports said that the tiff between Wright and Douglas was more than just over golf. The Chicago Tribune reported that the argument was over comments made by Wright regarding Douglas's secretary, Sue Pohlman, and alleged "snooping" by Wright in Douglas's computer files. The Tribune also reported that the tussle took place in front of fellow Justice Alice Robie Resnick and it ended only when two of Resnick's clerks separated Douglas and Wright.
Douglas clashed frequently with Chief Justice Thomas J. Moyer, a fellow Republican. In the 1992 election, he even actively supported Moyer's Democratic opponent.