Judge the Ads Ohio

2024 Candidates

Table of Contents

The Candidates


Three seats on the Ohio Supreme Court will be on the ballot in 2024. While three incumbents — Justices Michael Donnelly, Melody Stewart, and Joe Deters — are running for office, Justice Deters has chosen to challenge Justice Stewart rather than running to retain his own seat, leaving an open seat. 

Here are the matchups for the three seats in November’s General Election: 

  • In the first race, incumbent Justice Michael Donnelly will be the Democratic nominee and Hamilton County Common Pleas Court Judge Megan Shanahan will be Republican nominee. 
  • The second race pits two incumbents against one another. Justice Melody Stewart (D) and Justice Joe Deters (R) – appointed to the state’s highest court in 2023 – will vie for this open seat.
  • In the third race, Eighth District Appellate Court Judge Lisa Forbes (D) will face Republican Franklin County Common Pleas Court Judge Dan Hawkins.

Ohio’s General Election is on November 5; early in-person voting begins on October 8 and includes the two Saturdays and the two Sundays before Election Day. October 7 is the voter registration deadline. Click here to check your voter registration or get registered. Ohio voters can request a vote-by-mail absentee ballot; applications are due at the Board of Elections on October 29 (seven days before the Election). 

In addition to donating dark money or public money, individuals and organizations show their support for candidates in other ways, including through endorsements that can add information and credibility to court candidates. All candidates have been officially endorsed by their state political parties, but each has additional support and recognition that can help voters make informed choices. 

Judicial Votes Count, an Ohio State Bar Association voter guide, provides candidate profiles and a candidate Q & A section. This year, all six candidates participated and provided answers.

Below is a chart showing candidate ratings from the following organizations. This information was compiled by Judge4Yourself.com.

AABOA: Asian-American Bar Association
CCDLA: Cuyahoga Criminal Defense Lawyers Association
CMBA: Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association
NSMBA: Norman S. Minor Bar Association
OPAA: Ohio Prosecuting Attorneys Association
OWBA: Ohio Women’s Bar Association

Plain Dealer/ cleveland.com = Editorial Board of the Plain Dealer and cleveland.com

Below is a summary of the endorsements, support, and achievements of this year’s candidates. In alphabetical order:

Joseph T. Deters

Despite no previous experience, Governor Mike DeWine appointed Republican Joseph T. Deters to the Ohio Supreme Court in January 2023. In 2019, Justice Deters’ brother, Dennis, was also appointed by DeWine to the Public Utilities Commission (PUCO). The Ohio Supreme Court is the court of record for challenges to PUCO decisions.

Deters first served as Hamilton County prosecutor from 1992-1999 and then resumed this elected position from 2005-2023. His tenure as Hamilton County Prosecutor was interrupted by his election as Ohio Treasurer in 1998. He won re-election in 2002 but resigned in 2004 amid a pay-to-play scandal in which his chief of staff Matt Borges pleaded guilty to improper use of a public office. Justice Deters was never charged and Borges was later convicted for his role in the Householder/HB6 corruption scheme.

During his tenure as a prosecutor, Deters advocated for Ohio to bring back the firing squad for death penalty executions.

Justice Deters attended the University of Cincinnati for both his undergraduate degree and his law degree. Early in his career (1988-1992), he served as Hamilton County Clerk of Courts.

Endorsements:

From Jan. 2023 to July 2024, Joe Deters’ campaign committee has received almost one million dollars ($908,790.65 including monetary and in-kind donations). In the July 2024 report, his campaign reported having $709,067.92 available to spend in the race. To see all the contributions to candidates for the Ohio Supreme Court, visit the Ohio Secretary of State’s website. Examine top donations here.

Website

Michael P. Donnelly

In 2018, Democrat Michael P. Donnelly was elected to the Ohio Supreme Court and is seeking re-election. Before joining the Ohio Supreme Court, Justice Donnelly served as a judge on the Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas, General Division, for 14 years. From 2010 to 2017, he was one of five judges on Cuyahoga County’s Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities Court. 

Justice Donnelly was an assistant Cuyahoga County Prosecutor from 1992 until 1997 and was in private practice for seven years. 

He is leading an effort to collect criminal sentencing data systematically. “I’ve become convinced that this isn’t just a good idea, it’s an absolute necessity to deal with the problem of disparate treatment and implicit bias that permeates our sentencing laws,” Donnelly told the Columbus Dispatch.

He graduated from John Carroll University, and he received his law degree from Cleveland State University. 

Endorsements:

From Jan. 2023 to July 2024, Michael Donnelly’s campaign committee has received over half a million dollars ($612,041.88 including monetary and in-kind donations). In the July 2024 report, his campaign reported having $549,884.80 available to spend in the race. To see contributions to candidates for the Ohio Supreme Court, visit the Ohio Secretary of State’s website. Examine top donations here.

Website

Lisa Forbes

Democrat Lisa Forbes is a judge on the Eighth District Court of Appeals. Before her election in 2020, Judge Forbes was a litigator for 27 years and a partner at Vorys, Sater, Seymour, and Pease in Cleveland. 

“We as a society generally agree to be governed by the rule of law. It is our duty within the judicial system to deliver the expectations of accountability and transparency to protect individual rights and liberties,” Judge Forbes told Court News Ohio.

She has been serving on the boards of the Centers for Families and Children and Circle Health for over a decade. 

Judge Forbes graduated from Cornell University and received her law degree from Case Western University.

In the only contested Ohio Supreme Court primary race, Forbes defeated Tenth District Court of Appeals Court Judge Terri Jamison.

Endorsements:

From Jan. 2023 to July 2024, Lisa Forbes’ campaign committee has received over half a million dollars ($595,534.75 including monetary and in-kind donations). In the July 2024 report, her campaign reported having $473,864.89 available to spend in the race. To see contributions to candidates for the Ohio Supreme Court, visit the Ohio Secretary of State’s website. Examine top donations here.

Website

Dan Hawkins

Elected in 2019, Republican Daniel Hawkins is a Franklin County Common Pleas Court judge. From 2013 to 2019, he served as a judge in the Franklin County Environmental Court. This court reviews cases of housing, environment, building, health, fire, zoning, and sanitation.  

For a decade, he was the director of the Special Victims Unit for the Franklin County Prosecutor’s Office. During his tenure, he reported that he personally conducted over 100 jury trials, including six death penalty cases. Prior to that, he spent a few years as an assistant Franklin County prosecutor.  

“I believe my decades of experience as a prosecutor and judge have prepared me to serve Ohio as a Justice,” said Judge Hawkins in a press statement. 

Judge Hawkins graduated from Bowling Green State University and received his law degree from The Ohio State University. 

Endorsements:

From Jan. 2023 to July 2024, Dan Hawkins’ campaign committee has received over half a million dollars ($581,426.58 including monetary and in-kind donations). In the July 2024 report, his campaign reported having $484,744.26 available to spend in the race. To see contributions to candidates for the Ohio Supreme Court, visit the Ohio Secretary of State’s website. Examine top donations here.

Website

Megan Shanahan

Since 2015, Republican Megan Shanahan has been on the Hamilton County Common Pleas Court. Before that Judge Shanahan served on the Hamilton County Municipal Court.   

“The American judicial system is the gold standard for the world. Our republic survives in part because we believe in the rule of law. Fairness. Its why foreign companies locate in America. Our judicial system is stable, predictable, and impartial. Everyone gets their day in court,” wrote Judge Shanahan in an op-ed in the Ironton Tribune “expressing her opinion about why judges should not give public comment on cases that may come before them if elected.”

Judge Shanahan is a member of the Federalist Society and is a former prosecutor who began her career with the Butler County Prosecutor’s office. In 2005, she moved to the Hamilton County Prosecutor’s office where she worked for Joe Deters.  

She earned her undergraduate degree in political science from Kent State and her law degree from the University of Cincinnati. 

Endorsements:

From Jan. 2023 to July 2024, Megan Shanahan’s campaign committee has received over half a million dollars ($558,282.36 including monetary and in-kind donations). In the July 2024 report, her campaign reported having $357,420.08 available to spend in the race. To see contributions to candidates for the Ohio Supreme Court, visit the Ohio Secretary of State’s website. Examine top donations here.

Website

Melody Stewart

The first African American woman elected to the Ohio Supreme Court, Democrat Melody Stewart, is now seeking re-election. Justice Stewart was first elected to the Ohio Supreme Court in 2018. Prior to joining the Ohio Supreme Court, she served on the Eighth District Court of Appeals for 12 years.  

“I consider myself a lifelong learner, so the more you learn about different things, I think the better informed your decisions are,” Justice Stewart told WOSU in 2019. 

Before her election to the Ohio Supreme Court, Justice Stewart was an administrator for a healthcare management company, a music teacher, a litigator, and a law school professor at the University of Toledo College of Law and Cleveland State’s law school, where she was also an assistant dean.

Justice Stewart earned a Bachelor of Music from the University of Cincinnati. She received her law degree from Cleveland State University, and her Ph.D. from Case Western Reserve University. Her dissertation focused on juvenile diversion programs. 

Endorsements:

From Jan. 2023 to July 2024, Melody Stewart’s campaign committee has received almost half a million dollars ($480,154.83 including monetary and in-kind donations). In the July 2024 report, her campaign reported having $471,928.96 available to spend in the race. To see contributions to candidates for the Ohio Supreme Court, visit the Ohio Secretary of State’s website. Examine top donations here.

Website

Digging Deeper

Where else can voters get information about the candidates?

The Ohio Supreme Court can defend or undermine our rights. Voters need to know whether a candidate has the essential qualities to be a good judge: integrity, knowledge of the law, and freedom from bias so that they can apply the law fairly. However, it isn’t easy to get to know judicial candidates. Unlike other candidates, judicial candidates cannot make promises to voters or say anything about how they would rule in cases that they might decide in the future. This fact contributes to the disproportionate impact that dark money can have in these elections. 

You might be able to find out something about the judicial candidate through their own ads and the political ads running against them. But political ads are only a piece of the puzzle. Try to get to know the candidates. 

These resources can help:

  • Judicialvotescount.org is a voter guide hosted by the Ohio State Bar Association where Ohio voters can read what candidates say about themselves. 
  • Keep an eye on upcoming debates and forums. This is an opportunity to hear directly from the candidates for the Ohio Supreme Court. Sometimes you can ask the candidates questions. The League of Women Voters published this list of useful (and permissible) questions to ask judicial candidates. 
  • Follow the candidates on social media; google their names to find news articles and more; read their judicial opinions. 
  • Examine what organizations have endorsed each candidate.

Take a look at who has made campaign contributions on the Ohio Secretary of State’s website.