The election on November 3 will decide a seat on the Ohio Supreme Court. Democrat Jennifer Brunner and Republican Colleen O’Donnell are running for a six-year term. Brunner is the incumbent candidate, while O’Donnell most recently served as a federal immigration judge in Laredo, Texas. Republican justices currently have a 6-1 majority on the Court.
In recent years, the Court allowed Ohio judges to publicly make political endorsements, allowed prosecutors to appeal when a judge sets aside a jury’s guilty verdict in a criminal case, and held the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Obergefell v. Hodges, which legalized same-sex marriage, could not be applied retroactively to determine child custody cases.
Matters that may come before the Court in the near future include one that could clarify requirements for renewable energy development in the state.
This guide provides an introduction to each candidate, with statements, relevant rulings, experience, and publicized endorsements. The topics listed below are not comprehensive, but represent what’s available for each candidate through research into news accounts, judicial records, speeches, and other sources. Given that the candidates may have widely different backgrounds, the available topics may not match completely across all candidates. This guide is not intended to predict how a candidate will rule as a justice.
Jennifer Brunner is currently a justice on the Ohio Supreme Court, and has served in this role since 2021. She previously served as an appellate judge for the Tenth District Court of Appeals from 2014 to 2020, and served on the Franklin County Common Pleas Court from 2000-2005. She was elected Ohio’s Secretary of State in 2006, holding the office for four years. She earned a bachelor’s degree in sociology-gerontology from Miami University, and her J.D. degree from Capital University Law School in Columbus.
Brunner’s endorsements include: EMILYs List, the National Democratic Redistricting Committee, and the Ohio Democratic Party, among others.
Colleen O’Donnell most recently served as a federal immigration judge in Laredo, Texas. Before that, she served as a judge for the Franklin County Common Pleas Court for nearly ten years. O’Donnell also served at the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio and was an assistant Ohio Attorney General. She earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from Miami University (OH) and her J.D. from Case Western Reserve University School of Law.
O’Donnell’s endorsements include: Butler County Sheriff Richard K. Jones, Ohio Value Voters, Ohio Right to Life PAC, Cleveland Police Patrolmen’s Association, Buckeye Firearms Association PAC, Ohio Manufacturers’ Association, among others.
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