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Ohio Supreme Court: two seats

Jennifer Brunner (D) vs. Colleen O’Donnell (R), and Marilyn Zayas (D) vs. Dan Hawkins (R).

The race

Ohio’s judicial races carry party labels now — the General Assembly, with a Republican supermajority in each house, added them starting in 2022. A court of last resort with no members from the other party loses much of its internal friction, and internal friction is a large part of what keeps a court honest.

Justice Jennifer Brunner is the only Democrat on the Ohio Supreme Court and the only Democrat holding statewide office in Ohio. If she loses her seat and Justice Dan Hawkins holds his, the court becomes a 7–0 single-party panel.

Why it matters

This is the court that hears challenges to Ohio’s legislative and congressional maps. In 2022, a 4–3 majority — Republican Chief Justice Maureen O’Connor joined by the court’s three Democrats — repeatedly struck down both as unconstitutional partisan gerrymanders. It is also the court that will decide the school funding, property tax, and civil liberties cases that reach it in the years ahead.

Judicial candidates get far less attention than the races above them on the ballot, and justices serve six-year terms. The make-up of this court will shape Ohio for years. Before you vote, take a few minutes to learn who these four candidates are.