COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – Those who vote in the Nov. 5 general election will decide which three of six justices will sit on the Ohio Supreme Court.
The state’s highest court, where Republicans hold a 4-3 majority, is tasked with having the final say on countless issues affecting Ohioans, such as: Access to abortion, how the political districts of the state are drawn, Parental rights for same-sex couplesAnd Environmental projects such as solar parks.
Three of them Seven seats on the court are up for election this November, with three Democrats and three Republicans in the race. If the three Democrats win, the court would transition to a 4-3 Democratic majority. If the three Republicans win, the court would have deepened Republican control with a 6-1 majority.
Deters v. Stewart
Incumbent Republican Judge Joseph Deters is challenging incumbent Democratic Judge Melody Stewart. Deters decided to run against Stewart rather than seek re-election to his current seat.
Deters was appointed to the court in January 2023 and now runs for a full term. He is the first justice on the Ohio Supreme Court in 30 years with no prior judicial experience. He was previously the longest-serving prosecutor in Hamilton County from 1992 to 1999 and again from 2005 to 2023.
During his time as prosecutor, Deters cultivated a reputation for being tough on crime and strongly supporting the death penalty. In an interview with WLWT in Cincinnati in July 2018, Deters argued for the reinstatement of the death penalty by firing squad. He made national headlines for his multiple prosecutions of former University of Cincinnati police officer Ray Tensing, who fatally shot a black driver named Sam DuBose during a traffic stop in 2015.
The 66 year antique retired from leading the state’s racketeering lawsuit in 2023 against parties linked to a $60 million bribery scandal that culminated in a $1.3 billion bailout of Akron-based FirstEnergy’s nuclear power plants.
“As a judge, my primary responsibility is to respect and honor the rule of law and the role of the Supreme Court as a co-equal branch of government,” his campaign page states. “I see the court’s role as interpreting our Constitution while demonstrating judicial restraint in influencing legislation.”
Stewart was elected to the Ohio Supreme Court in 2018, becoming the first Black woman elected to the court. She previously served on the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals for 12 years. She previously worked as an administrator for a healthcare management company, as a music teacher, as a civil defense litigator, as a law school administrator, and as a professor.
The 61-year-old boasts of being highly rated by bar associations and endorsed by national, state, regional and local organizations, including labor, education, public safety, community groups and civic leaders. Stewart was a member of the majority who governed Ohio’s congressional districts had been gerrymandered.
“Judge Stewart was an exceptional member of the judiciary and a dedicated public servant,” her campaign page states. “She believes that the first and only reason to run for public office is to serve the public, not partisan political goals.”
Forbes v. Hawkins
Democratic Eighth District Court of Appeals Judge Lisa Forbes is running against Republican Franklin County Court of Common Pleas Judge Dan Hawkins for Deters’ open seat.
Forbes was elected to the Court of Appeals in 2020 and previously worked at two law firms since 1993. She sits on various boards and helps provide access to “some of Cuyahoga County’s most vulnerable residents,” including the Center for Families and Children and Circle Health.
The 60-year-old argues she will be “an independent and fair jurist,” pointing to her career as a litigator arguing elaborate and nuanced cases and now as an appeal judge. Their campaign page states that the court “must continue to fulfill its key function of check and balance.”
“Our state’s highest court should be a firewall protecting individual rights and freedoms. It is “literally Ohioans’ last stop for justice,” the website states. “I have studied the law extensively and approach each case with an eye to fairness, facts and the faithful application of the law.”
Hawkins was elected to the Franklin County Court of Commons Pleas in 2018 and was previously appointed to and then elected to the Franklin County Circuit Court. He also served as an assistant district attorney and head of the Franklin County Prosecutor’s Office’s Special Victims Unit.
The 48-year-old argues that he would be “a strong conservative” on the pitch. He boasts of his time in the Franklin County Municipal Court’s Environmental Division, where he implemented strategies to deal with properties that have become a magnet for criminal activity, such as vacant and abandoned buildings and drug houses.
“I am running for the Supreme Court of Ohio because I want my family and yours to live in a safe and free Ohio,” his campaign page reads. “Throughout my career as a prosecutor and judge, I have fought to uphold our Constitution, enforce the rule of law and ensure our neighborhoods are safe places to live and work.”
Donnelly vs. Shanahan
Incumbent Democratic Judge Michael P. Donnelly is being challenged by Republican Judge Megan Shanahan of the Hamilton County Court of Common Pleas.
Donnelly was elected to the Ohio Supreme Court in 2018 and previously served as a judge on the Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas from 2005 to 2018. He also served as a judge in the Cuyahoga County Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities Court and practiced civil litigation from 1997 until 2004 and was an assistant prosecutor in Cuyahoga County from 1992 to 1997.
The 58-year-old boasts of a “clear view of his legal philosophy” as he has “protected the rights of union members” and rolled back more than $200 million in surcharges that Ohio consumers were forced to pay to First Energy. He was also part of the majority of the court who governed Ohio’s congressional districts had been gerrymanderedand fended off attempts to hold him Changes to abortion law last year from the ballot paper.
“Judge Donnelly wrote these opinions and many others during his five influential years on Ohio’s highest court, along with his continued efforts to close Ohio’s justice gap, use data to promote fairness in sentencing, and make the justice system more transparent, accountable and make it more efficient.” “I strongly advocate for his re-election,” it says on his campaign website.
Shanahan has served on the Hamilton Court Common Pleas Court since 2015 and was previously elected to the Hamilton County Municipal Court in 2011 and re-elected in 2013. Before taking the bench, she was a criminal defense attorney.
The 49-year-old boasts of having “sent hundreds of the most dangerous criminals to prison” and is passionate about prosecuting child molesters. In one case, she persuaded the court to allow a adolescent victim’s live testimony on closed-circuit television, allowing the child to testify in a separate room to avoid being intimidated by his abuser.
“Shanahan is a competent and experienced judge who has earned the respect of the people who come to her courtroom and the citizens who elected her,” the website says. “Judge Shanahan’s transparent, factual and clear approach is evident in every case.”
