What you need to know about Ohio Politics and Policy
Ohio Supreme Court
What’s At Stake
The November election for the Ohio Supreme Court will have a profound impact on key issues such as abortion rights, redistricting, and criminal justice reform. With the court holding significant power over interpreting and upholding state laws, the balance of justices could shape Ohio’s legal landscape for years to come. Decisions on reproductive rights, voting access, and legislative boundaries may hinge on this election, making it critical for voters to understand where each candidate stands on these crucial matters. The stakes are particularly high for progressive voters looking to ensure that the court reflects values of fairness, justice, and equality for all Ohioans.
IO Research and Analysis:
Who’s On Your Ballot
For Associate Justice – 6 year term commencing January 1, 2025
| Michael Donnelly Democrat | Megan Shanahan Republican | |
 |  | |
| Hometown: | Cleveland Heights, OH | Columbus, Ohio |
| Biography: | Michael Donnelly was sworn in to serve on the Ohio Supreme Court in January 2019 following his landslide victory in the previous year’s statewide General Election. During his time on the bench. Justice Donnelly also serves on various boards and committees, advocating for professionalism and procedural fairness in the justice system. He resides in Cleveland Heights with his wife, Nancy, and their two children. | Megan Shanahan is a native of Western Pennsylvania, she attended Kent State University for undergraduate studies and obtained her JD from the University of Cincinnati College of Law. Shanahan lives in Cincinnati with her husband and two children. Prior to being elected to the bench, Shanahan worked as prosecutor for fifteen years, spending much of that time in the offices of the Hamilton County and Butler County Prosecutors. |
| Prior employment: | Donnelly served as a judge on the Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas, General Division for 14 years. He was elected to the seat in November 2004 and re-elected in 2010 and 2016. In addition, from 2010 to 2017, he was one of five judges on Cuyahoga County’s Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities Court. Before serving as a member of the local judiciary, Justice Donnelly was an assistant Cuyahoga County Prosecutor from 1992 until 1997. He then went on to practice civil litigation for seven years. Justice Donnelly has also been a faculty member of the Ohio Judicial College | Shanahan currently serves in the Hamilton County Court of Common Pleas. She was elected in November 2011 to the Municipal Court She was reelected to the Municipal Court in 2013. In April 2015, Judge Shanahan was appointed to the Common Pleas Court and won her subsequent election to a full 6-year term in 2016. In 2022, Hamilton County voters overwhelmingly re-elected Judge Shanahan. |
| Endorsements: | Pipefitters Local 120 Cleveland, Cleveland Building and Construction Trades Council, ACT Ohio, Planned Parenthood Advocates of Ohio, CWA, OEA, OFT, UAW, Ohio Citizen Action, Cleveland Stonewall Democrats, Planned Parenthood Action Fund, Local 310, AFL-CIO, NDRC, ONA Votes 2024, Daily Kos, | Ohio Farm Bureau, Ohio GOP, Ohio Medicine |
| Website: | donnellyforjustice.com | shanahanforohio.com |
| Social media: | Facebook | Facebook |
For Associate Justice – 6 year term commencing January 2, 2025
| Melody Stewart Democrat | Joseph Deters Republican | |
 |  | |
| Hometown: | Cleveland, OH | Cincinnati, Ohio |
| Biography: | Justice Melody Stewart has over 30 years of legal experience – ranging from civil litigation practice and teaching students at several Ohio law schools to being an appellate court judge and sitting by assignment on the Ohio Supreme Court prior to being elected to the Supreme Court. For 12 years, Justice Stewart served on the Ohio Court of Appeals – Eighth District, earning re-election twice due to her reputation as an insightful and fair jurist on the appellate court. Justice Stewart served as the court’s administrative judge in 2013, overseeing court employees, implementing improvements to the court, and ensuring a professional work place. | Prior to being appointed to the Ohio Supreme Court, Joe Deters served as Hamilton County Clerk of Courts (1988-1992) Hamilton County Prosecutor (1993-1998 & 2005-2022) and State Treasurer (1999-2005). Deters is currently married to WCPO-TV anchor Tanya O’Rourke and has four children with his ex-wife, Melissa Hendon Deters, the two finalized their divorce in 2015. Deters received his undergraduate and JD from the University of Cincinnati and earned his first job out of law school with the Hamilton County Prosecutor’s office after his grandfather, former Hamilton County Sheriff Dan Teehan, made a call on his behalf. |
| Prior employment: | Prior to joining the Supreme Court, Justice Stewart served on the Eighth District Court of Appeals — elected to an unexpired term in 2006 and twice reelected to full terms. She served as the court’s Administrative Judge in 2013. Justice Stewart has more than 30 years of combined administrative, legal, and academic experience. She was an administrator for a healthcare management company, a music teacher, a civil defense litigator, and a law school administrator and professor before being elected to the Court of Appeals. | Prior to joining the Court, Justice Deters served as the longest-tenured prosecutor in Hamilton County. He held the position twice from 1992-1999 and 2005-2023. Justice Deters was elected statewide as Ohio Treasurer for two terms, in 1998 and 2002. He served as Hamilton County Clerk of Courts from 1988-1992. The justice spent the first six years of his legal career as an assistant Hamilton County prosecutor. |
| Endorsements: | Sherrod Brown, Justin Bibb, Chris Ronayne, Association of Cleveland Firefighters IAFF Local 93, AFSCME, Cincinnati Women’s Political Caucus, Cleveland Stonewall Democrats, Communications Workers of America District # 4, Ohio AFL-CIO, Ohio Association of Public School Employees, Ohio Citizen Action, Ohio Education Association, Ohio Federation of Teachers, Ohio Fraternal Order of Police, Painters & Allied Trades District Council No. 6, State of Ohio and Central Kentucky Planned Parenthood Advocates of Ohio, UAW Region 2b, Wood County Young Democrats, Working Families Party, Youngstown-Warren Black Caucus | Ohio GOP, Ohio Farm Bureau, Cincinnati Right to Life, Ohio Medicine, National Federation of Independent Businesses |
| Website: | StewartForOhioSupremeCourt.com | JoeDeters.com |
| Social media: | Facebook | Facebook |
For Associate Justice – 2 year term ending December 31, 2026
| Lisa Forbes Democrat | Dan Hawkins Republican | |
 |  | |
| Hometown: | Shaker Heights, OH | Westerville, Ohio |
| Biography: | Elected to the bench in 2020, Judge Lisa Forbes has extensive experience in the courts of appeals and trial courts across Ohio, at both the state and federal levels. As a business litigator and a partner at the Cleveland office of a national law firm, she helped her clients resolve disputes ranging from complex business litigation, to consumer class actions, to legal malpractice to trust and estate disputes, and so much more. | Daniel Robert Hawkins currently serves as a Judge on the Franklin County Common Pleas Court. Hawkins was born and raised in the Columbus, Ohio area, where he today lives with his wife Amy Hawkins and their three children in Westerville. Hawkins attended undergraduate studies at Bowling Green State University, receiving a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice, before attending law school and earning his JD from Ohio State University. |
| Prior employment: | Judge Lisa Forbes was elected to the Eighth District Court of Appeals on November 3, 2020. Prior to joining the bench, Judge Forbes was a partner in the Cleveland office of the law firm Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease LLP where she practiced in the area of complex litigation. As a litigator, Judge Forbes represented clients in state and federal trial and appellate courts throughout Ohio for 27 years. | After graduating from law school, Hawkins was hired by the Franklin County Prosecutor’s office, where he had interned previously. Hawkins would spend more than a decade in the Prosecutor’s office, eventually was appointed to serve on the Franklin County Municipal Court, Environmental Division, by Governor John Kasich. Hon. Daniel R. Hawkins is a judge for the Franklin County Court of Common Pleas (General Division) in Ohio. He was elected to the seat on November 6, 2018. Prior to his election, Hawkins presided as a judge in the Environmental Division of the Franklin County Municipal Court, a position he had held since 2013 |
| Endorsements | Cleveland.com Editorial Board, Ohio Democratic Party, Cleveland Stonewall Democrats, Ohio AFL-CIO, Cincinnati Women’s Political Caucus, NDRC, OEA, PPAO, CWA, Ohio Nurses Association | Ohio GOP, Ohio Farm Bureau, Ohio Medicine, Ohio FOP |
| Website: | forbesforjustice.com | |
| Social media: | Facebook | Facebook |