4 candidates are on the ballot. One ballot can carry several appellate seats, and the note below sets out which contest is which. For each judge: the record, any official performance evaluation, and the arguments published for and against them.
Ohio elects Supreme Court justices statewide, and since a 2021 law took effect in 2022 their party labels are printed on the ballot. Two seats are on the November 3, 2026 ballot. In ballot order by seat: the seat held by Jennifer Brunner (D, incumbent), challenged by Colleen O'Donnell (R), a former Franklin County Common Pleas judge; and the seat held by Dan Hawkins (R, incumbent), challenged by Marilyn Zayas (D), a judge of the First District Court of Appeals. Brunner is the only Democrat on a court that is otherwise 6-1 Republican and the only Democrat holding statewide office in Ohio. Primaries were held May 5, 2026; O'Donnell won a four-way Republican primary with 32% of the vote, and Brunner, Hawkins and Zayas were each unopposed for their nominations. Separately, Ohio's twelve District Courts of Appeals also hold elections, but those judges are elected only by the counties in their appellate district, so which of those races appears on a ballot depends on where the voter lives; they are not covered here. Roster from the Ohio Secretary of State's primary results as reported by the Ohio Capital Journal and the Statehouse News Bureau.
4 candidates · ballot order · Jennifer Brunner currently holds this seat
Medium confidenceMedium confidenceThe candidate's stated positions and basic record are documented, but coverage is thin — often little independent reporting, or criticism from only one side.What would raise it: More independent reporting, a documented voting record, or published criticism from a named opponent would raise this.
What they say they stand for
Their own words. Claims, not verified facts.
Keeping partisanship out of judicial decision-making on a court where party labels now appear on the ballot.
A court that reflects a broader range of views than a single party.
Access to the courts and public confidence in them.
Continued service on a court she says needs more than one Democratic voice.
What they’ve actually done
Documented record from official sources.
Justice, Supreme Court of Ohio, 2021–present.
Judge, Tenth District Court of Appeals of Ohio, before 2021.
Ohio Secretary of State, 2007–2011.
Elected to the Supreme Court in 2020 with 55% of the vote, in a year Ohio's presidential vote went the other way by eight points.
Ran for Chief Justice of Ohio in 2022 and lost to Sharon Kennedy, 56%–44%.
Unopposed in the May 5, 2026 Democratic primary.
Arguments in favor
We found none published about this candidate in the sources reviewed.
Arguments against
We found none published about this candidate in the sources reviewed.
What we couldn’t verify
No criticism of Brunner by name from a named organisation or from her opponent was found. Searched: Ohio Republican Party material, the O'Donnell campaign statement, Ohio Capital Journal, the Statehouse News Bureau and Mahoning Matters election coverage.
Ohio does not run an official judicial performance evaluation commission, and no Ohio State Bar Association candidate rating for the 2026 general election had been published at the time of research.
No analysis of Brunner's published opinions was found in the sources reviewed.
A judicial approach she describes as conservative and originalist.
Not legislating from the bench.
Law and order and public safety.
Fair and consistent court decisions.
What they’ve actually done
Documented record from official sources.
Former judge, Franklin County Court of Common Pleas.
Former United States immigration judge.
Won the May 5, 2026 Republican primary with 32% of the vote against appellate judges Andrew King, Jill Flagg Lanzinger and Ronald Lewis.
Was not endorsed by the Ohio Republican Party before the primary; the party endorsed none of the four candidates.
Arguments in favor
We found none published about this candidate in the sources reviewed.
Arguments against
We found none published about this candidate in the sources reviewed.
What we couldn’t verify
No campaign website for O'Donnell was located.
No published criticism of O'Donnell by name was found. Searched: Ohio Democratic Party material, the Brunner campaign, Ohio Capital Journal, Statehouse News Bureau, WFMJ and WKBN coverage.
Ohio does not run an official judicial performance evaluation commission, and no bar rating of O'Donnell was found.
No analysis of her rulings as a common pleas judge or immigration judge was found.
Applying Ohio statutes as the legislature wrote them.
Criminal prosecution experience, particularly in special-victims cases, as preparation for the court's criminal docket.
A conservative judicial philosophy.
What they’ve actually done
Documented record from official sources.
Justice, Supreme Court of Ohio, since December 10, 2024, elected November 5, 2024 to succeed Joe Deters.
Judge, Franklin County Court of Common Pleas, 2019–2024.
Judge, Franklin County Municipal Court, Environmental Division, 2013–2019.
Assistant prosecuting attorney and director of the Special Victims Unit, Franklin County Prosecutor's Office, 2001–2013.
Endorsed by the Ohio Republican Party in his 2024 Supreme Court campaign.
Unopposed in the May 5, 2026 Republican primary.
Arguments in favor
We found none published about this candidate in the sources reviewed.
Arguments against
We found none published about this candidate in the sources reviewed.
What we couldn’t verify
No campaign website for Hawkins was located.
No published criticism of Hawkins by name was found. Searched: Ohio Democratic Party material, the Zayas campaign, Ohio Capital Journal and Statehouse News Bureau coverage.
Hawkins joined the court in December 2024, and no analysis of his published opinions was found.
Ohio does not run an official judicial performance evaluation commission.
Removing politics from the Ohio Supreme Court, which she says is losing public faith because of it.
Ten years of appellate experience as the relevant qualification.
Restoring a wider range of views to a court that is currently 6-1.
Equal access to the courts.
What they’ve actually done
Documented record from official sources.
Judge, First District Court of Appeals of Ohio, 2016–present.
Worked as a software engineer before entering law.
Unopposed in the May 5, 2026 Democratic primary.
Arguments in favor
We found none published about this candidate in the sources reviewed.
Arguments against
We found none published about this candidate in the sources reviewed.
What we couldn’t verify
No campaign website for Zayas was located.
No published criticism of Zayas by name was found. Searched: Ohio Republican Party material, the Hawkins campaign, Ohio Capital Journal, Statehouse News Bureau and Cincinnati-area coverage.
No analysis of her opinions on the First District Court of Appeals was found.
Ohio does not run an official judicial performance evaluation commission.
Positions and criticism are quoted from the named sources, not our assessments. This is built to help you start getting informed — confirm the official candidate list with your election authority before you vote.
This is one contest on a longer ballot
A Ohio ballot also carries state legislative districts, county offices, judicial seats and often local questions — and which of them you vote on is decided by your street address, not your city or ZIP code.