The 2026 Candidates
Two seats on the Ohio Supreme Court are on the ballot for the November 3, 2026 General Election. Here are the matchups:
- Incumbent Democrat Justice Jennifer Brunner will face former judge Republican Colleen O’Donnell.
- Incumbent Republican Justice Dan Hawkins, finishing out an expiring term, will face Democrat First District Court of Appeals Judge Marilyn Zayas.
Below is a summary of the endorsements, support, and achievements of the 2026 candidates. In alphabetical order:
Jennifer Brunner
Justice Jennifer Brunner was elected to the Ohio Supreme Court in 2022. She is the sole Democrat on a six-to-one Republican majority bench. She previously served on Ohio’s Tenth District Court of Appeals and the Franklin County Court of Common Pleas. Justice Brunner was Ohio’s first and only female Secretary of State, serving from 2007 to 2011.
On her campaign website, she states that “justice is about fairness, equality and respect for all people.”
Brunner has an ongoing lawsuit in federal court against state officials challenging the constitutionality of a 2021 state law requiring partisan labels on ballots for Ohio Supreme Court and state appellate court candidates. She argues that the new law is an infringement on free speech rights.
She received an undergraduate degree in sociology-gerontology from Miami University and her law degree from Capital University Law School.
Website
Dan Hawkins
Ohio Supreme Court Justice Dan Hawkins was elected to the bench in November 2024. Prior to his term on the Supreme Court, Justice Hawkins served on the Franklin County Court of Common Pleas from 2019 to 2024 and as the director of the Special Victims Unit for the Franklin County Prosecutor’s Office.
Hawkins describes himself as a “strong Conservative for Ohio’s Supreme Court.”
He has been on the Board of Directors for the Ohio Access to Justice Foundation since 2025, serving as the Foundation’s liaison to the Supreme Court of Ohio.
Hawkins received an undergraduate degree in criminal justice from Bowling Green State University and his law degree from The Ohio State University.
Website
Colleen O’Donnell
Colleen O’Donnell served as a former Franklin County Court of Common Pleas judge from 2013 to 2023 who most recently served as a U.S. Immigration Judge in Laredo, Texas. Her father is former Ohio Supreme Court Justice Terrence O’Donnell.
O’Donnell describes herself as a constitutional conservative who is running for Ohio Supreme Court to “uphold the rule of law, protect public safety, and preserve a conservative majority on the Court.”
During O’Donnell’s 2026 primary election campaign, the Ohio Board of Professional Conduct filed a formal complaint against her for creating a false impression of incumbency on social media. She was found in violation of the Ohio Code of Judicial Conduct Canon 4.3(D) but the Board did not find that the violation warranted a sanction.
O’Donnell received her undergraduate degree in political science from Miami University in 2003 and her law degree from Case Western Reserve University School of Law.
Website
Marilyn Zayas
Since 2016, Judge Marilyn Zayas has served on Hamilton County’s First District Court of Appeals and is the first Latina elected to an Ohio appeals court. Since joining the court, Zayas was selected by then Chief Justice Maureen O’Connor to sit on the Ohio Supreme Court for a recused justice. She was also asked to fill in on the Second, Sixth, Eighth, and Tenth District Courts of Appeal.
She ran for a seat on the Ohio Supreme Court in 2022 but lost to incumbent Republican Justice Pat DeWine.
Zayas pledges to bring “common sense, leave politics at the door, ensure fair access, and rule based solely on the law and facts.”
She received an undergraduate degree in computer science from City College of the City University of New York and her law degree from the University of Cincinnati College of Law.
WebsiteDigging 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:
- Vote411 is a League of Women Voters website 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.