Joseph T. Deters

Despite no previous experience, Governor Mike DeWine appointed Republican Joseph T. Deters to the Ohio Supreme Court in January 2023. Justice Deters’ brother, Dennis, was also appointed by DeWine to the Public Utilities Commission in 2019. Prior to that appointment, Dennis was appointed by then Governor John Kasich to the Ohio Court of Appeals to fill Pat DeWine’s (son of the current Governor) seat when he ran for the Ohio Supreme Court.

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.

Justice Deters’ annual campaign finance report, filed January 30, 2024, shows he has a balance on hand of $400,000, after raising over $446,000.

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. 

Justice Donnelly’s annual campaign finance report, filed January 30, 2024, shows he has a balance on hand of $10,000, after raising $8,500.

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.

Judge Forbes’ annual campaign finance report, filed January 30, 2024, shows she has a balance on hand of $1,400, after raising $145.

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. 

Judge Hawkins’ annual campaign finance report, filed January 30, 2024, shows he has a balance on hand of $177,000, after raising $188,000. This includes a $20,000 personal loan.

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. It’s 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. 

Judge Shanahan’s annual campaign finance report, filed January 30, 2024, shows she has a balance on hand of $89,000, after raising $134,000.

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 for12 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. 

Justice Stewart’s annual campaign finance report, filed January 30, 2024, shows she has a balance on hand of $100,000, after raising $81,000.