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 for an open seat: vying for the position are Democrat Lisa Forbes, an Eighth District Court of Appeals judge, and Republican Dan Hawkins, a judge for the Franklin County Court of Common Pleas. The winning candidate will complete the two years remaining in the six-year term of Justice Joseph Deters. (Deters, appointed to fill a vacancy on the court, is vacating his position to challenge Justice Melody Stewart for a full six-year term on the court.) The Ohio Supreme Court decides questions of state law that can have a significant impact. To download a pdf of this guide, click here.
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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.
Judge Lisa Forbes graduated from Cornell University and earned her law degree from Case Western Reserve School of Law. After clerking for a U.S. District Court judge, she practiced civil litigation, working for two law firms over 27 years. In 2020 she won a seat on the Eighth District Court of Appeals, where she now serves. She has served on boards to “provide access to opportunity for some of Cuyahoga County’s most vulnerable residents,” including The Centers, which provides health care, family support, and workforce development, to low-income Ohioans. Candidate website: forbesforjustice.com.
Forbes’ endorsements include The Plain Dealer, Planned Parenthood Advocates of Ohio, Ohio Federation of Teachers, Ohio Association of Professional Firefighters, Ohio Environmental Council Action, AFL-CIO Ohio, Ohio Citizen Action, the mayors of Cincinnati and Cleveland, and Teamsters Ohio D.R.I.V.E.
Judge Dan Hawkins graduated from Bowling Green State University and earned his law degree from Ohio State University Moritz College of Law. He worked as a prosecutor in Franklin County for 13 years, 10 of them as director of the Special Victims Unit, which specializes in crimes of violence against women and children. In 2013 he was appointed to the Franklin County Municipal Court’s environmental division and then won an election for the seat. In 2018, he was elected to the Franklin County Court of Common Pleas, where he now serves. He is a member of the Federalist Society. Candidate website: hawkinsforjustice.com.
Hawkins’ endorsements include Ohio Right to Life, the Fraternal Order of Police of Ohio, Ohio Republican Party, the Ohio Alliance for Civil Justice, the Ohio Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association, and four business advocacy associations: the Ohio Chamber of Commerce, Ohio Business Roundtable, Ohio Farm Bureau, and NFIB Ohio.
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