2024 Ohio Supreme Court Voter Guide

Three out of the seven seats on the Ohio Supreme Court are up for election on November 5. The Court is composed of four Republican and three Democratic justices. One of the three races is between incumbent Supreme Court Justice Michael Donnelly, a Democrat, and Common Pleas Court Judge Megan Shanahan, a Republican. The winning candidate will serve a six-year term.

The Ohio Supreme Court decides questions of state law that can have a significant impact. Some recent highlights:

Redistricting maps governing state House and Senate seats and Congressional seats in ways that favor Republican candidates have already come before the Ohio Supreme Court several times. Ohio voters will decide on a constitutional amendment this November that would create an independent redistricting process. If the measure passes, redistricting is expected to come before the Ohio Supreme Court again.
The Court allowed the “Reproductive Freedom” amendment initiative to remain on the ballot in response to efforts to have it removed. Now that the constitutional protections for abortion access have gone into effect, the Court is expected to face legal disputes as abortion opponents seek to reduce or weaken the impact of the new amendment.
A group of school districts is suing the state over the use of vouchers to fund private schools, saying the program is harming public education. The suit is before the Franklin County Court of Common Pleas and is expected to eventually reach the Ohio Supreme Court.

To help you decide how to vote in this election, we’ve assembled background about the candidates’ education and previous work experience, along with public statements and publicized endorsements, to indicate how they might rule on key issues in the future.

Michael Donnelly (Democrat – Incumbent)

Michael Donnelly graduated from John Carroll University and earned his J.D. degree from Cleveland State University College of Law. Donnelly worked as an assistant prosecutor for five years before entering private practice. In 2004 he was elected to the Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas, where he served from 2005-2018. In 2018, Donnelly was elected to the Ohio Supreme Court. Donnelly received the 2015 William K. Thomas Professionalism Award, the 2017 Public Service Award from the Ohio Association of Civil Trial Attorneys, and the 2020 Alumni of the Year Award from Cleveland State University College of Law. Candidate website: donnellyforjustice.com

On abortion, Donnelly “turned back repeated attempts” to keep the “Reproductive Freedom” amendment off the 2023 ballot. In a dispute over ballot language for the amendment, joined the majority ruling that the Ohio Ballot Board had wrongly changed the language. In a concurring opinion, he wrote: “It’s unfortunate that advocacy seems to have infiltrated a process that is meant to be objective and neutral.”
On how judges should set bail, he wrote that courts must follow set procedures to deny bail, “they must follow the rules,” rather than setting the bail amount so high that the defendant is unable to pay it, as an alternative way of denying bail.
On redistricting, he ruled multiple times with fellow Democrats and one Republican on the Court that Republican-drawn legislative and congressional maps were unconstitutional. He wrote the majority opinion in a decision rejecting a Republican-drawn congressional map, writing that the General Assembly “did not heed the clarion call sent by Ohio voters to stop political gerrymandering.”
On criminal justice, Donnelly supports efforts to build a sentencing database to move toward a “data driven criminal justice system,” and restore public confidence. He argues that a database will eliminate “systemic flaws,” where “two judges would impose two different sentences for the same crime.”
On his judicial philosophy, he says he strives to be independent and impartial and to ensure “every person receives equal treatment under the law.”

Donnelly’s endorsements include the Ohio Education Association, cleveland.com, Planned Parenthood Advocates of Ohio, Cleveland Stonewall Democrats, Ohio AFL-CIO, Sierra Club Ohio, and UAW.

Megan Shanahan (Republican)

Megan Shanahan graduated from Kent State University and earned her J.D. degree from the University of Cincinnati College of Law. She worked as an assistant prosecutor and then supervising attorney in Butler County and Hamilton County. She was first elected to Hamilton County Municipal Court in 2011 and reelected in 2013. She was appointed to the Hamilton County Court of Common Pleas in 2015 and elected to the seat in 2016.

Shanahan received the Peggy Caldwell Award in 2009 from Hope in Heels, an organization that supports and recognizes people who work with victims of violent crime, and in 2012 was named one of the “Women to Watch” by the Cincinnati Enquirer.

On abortion, Shanahan wrote in 2016 that she was “proud to be endorsed” by the Greater Cincinnati Right to Life PAC and the Center for Christian Virtue.
On how judges should set bail, she said “What really motivated me to run [for Ohio Supreme Court] was the case that said judges should not consider public safety when setting bond. I knew right then I needed to step up and do my part to stop an activist court that flies in the face of common sense, public safety, and it’s a danger.”
On redistricting, her position is unclear. In 2023, saying “judges shouldn’t pre-judge cases,” Shanahan criticized Wisconsin Justice Janet Protasiewicz, who as a candidate called the Wisconsin legislative maps “rigged.”
On criminal justice, she opposes efforts to build a sentencing database to help courts better determine the seriousness of a person’s criminal conduct: “It should be left to the province of the judges we elect on how they manage their cases and impose sentences.”
On her judicial philosophy, Shanahan says that as a member of the Federalist Society, she “understands the proper role of the judiciary—interpreting the law, not legislating from the bench.” She will use her “conservative judicial philosophy” to “protect Ohio families and grow our state.”

Shanahan’s endorsements include the Ohio Republican Party, the Hamilton County Republican Party, Ohio Right to Life, and four business advocacy associations, the Ohio Chamber of Commerce, Ohio Business Roundtable, Ohio Farm Bureau, and NFIB Ohio.

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Michael Donnelly v. Megan Shanahan

The Candidates

Michael Donnelly (Democrat – Incumbent)

Megan Shanahan (Republican)

Michael Donnelly

Megan Shanahan

2024 Ohio Supreme Court Voter Guide

Michael Donnelly v. Megan Shanahan

The Candidates

Michael Donnelly (Democrat – Incumbent)

Megan Shanahan (Republican)

Where do they stand:

Michael Donnelly

Megan Shanahan

Michael Donnelly

Megan Shanahan

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