Anne Flottman

Anne Flottman (Democratic Party) is a judge of the Hamilton County Court of Common Pleas Domestic Relations Division in Ohio. Flottman assumed office on January 5, 2023. Flottman's current term ends on January 4, 2029.

Flottman (Nonpartisan, Democratic Party) ran for election for judge of the Hamilton County Court of Common Pleas Domestic Relations Division in Ohio. Flottman won in the general election on November 8, 2022. Flottman advanced from the Democratic primary on May 3, 2022.

Flottman completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2022. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Anne Flottman earned a high school diploma from Atherton High School. Flottman earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Kentucky in 1978, a graduate degree from Xavier University in 1988, and a law degree from the University of Cincinnati College of Law in 2001. Flottman's career experience includes working as an attorney, teaching high school English for five years, and teaching at Xavier University for 10 years. While at Xavier University, she was given the Teacher of the Year Award by the Student Athletic Association. Flottman has been affiliation with the NAACP, the League of Women Voters, the Ohio State Bar Association, and the Association of Family and Conciliation Courts.^[1]

Elections

2022

General election

General election for Hamilton County Court of Common Pleas Domestic Relations Division

Anne Flottman defeated incumbent Jon H. Sieve in the general election for Hamilton County Court of Common Pleas Domestic Relations Division on November 8, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Anne Flottman (Nonpartisan)	58.0	150,049
	Submit photo	Jon H. Sieve (Nonpartisan)	42.0	108,712

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 258,761
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Hamilton County Court of Common Pleas Domestic Relations Division

Anne Flottman advanced from the Democratic primary for Hamilton County Court of Common Pleas Domestic Relations Division on May 3, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Anne Flottman	100.0	31,186

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 31,186
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Republican primary election

Republican primary for Hamilton County Court of Common Pleas Domestic Relations Division

Incumbent Jon H. Sieve advanced from the Republican primary for Hamilton County Court of Common Pleas Domestic Relations Division on May 3, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Submit photo	Jon H. Sieve	100.0	35,100

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 35,100
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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2020

General election

General election for Hamilton County Court of Common Pleas Domestic Relations Division

Incumbent Amy L. Searcy defeated Anne Flottman in the general election for Hamilton County Court of Common Pleas Domestic Relations Division on November 3, 2020.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Amy L. Searcy (Nonpartisan)	51.6	189,943
	Anne Flottman (Nonpartisan)	48.4	177,888

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 367,831
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Hamilton County Court of Common Pleas Domestic Relations Division

Anne Flottman advanced from the Democratic primary for Hamilton County Court of Common Pleas Domestic Relations Division on April 28, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Anne Flottman	100.0	54,476

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 54,476
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Hamilton County Court of Common Pleas Domestic Relations Division

Incumbent Amy L. Searcy advanced from the Republican primary for Hamilton County Court of Common Pleas Domestic Relations Division on April 28, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Amy L. Searcy	100.0	32,632

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 32,632
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Campaign themes

2022

Ballotpedia survey responses

Anne Flottman completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2022. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Flottman's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I am a wife, mother, grandmother, and former teacher. After teaching high school and college English for 15 years, I went to law school. I went immediately into family law - like teaching and parenting, it's about helping people get from where they are to where they want to me. I had many years of a busy and successful practice limited solely to Domestic Relations law, then was asked to serve as a magistrate in the Domestic Relations Court. I served there for over seven years, deciding hundreds of cases and helping hundreds of families move to the next chapter as peaceably as possible.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

Families come to Domestic Relations Court for help solving problems they have. Families deserve judges and magistrates with experience, expertise, and empathy who will move their cases efficiently.
People from every walk of life, every race, every religion, and every cultural background come to Domestic Relations Court for help. The Court needs greater diversity in its staff and regular DEI training to increase its cultural competency so it can meet the needs of our county's residents.
The end of a marriage is not the end of the family. When parents get treated equitably and leave Court with reasonable parenting and property arrangements, they have a much better chance of avoiding conflict in the future, which benefits children. That's why it's critical that families have experienced, compassionate people working with their families in court.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

I am passionate about providing families greater access to justice. I will do that by increasing the hours of the court to include some evenings and weekends to better serve working families, and to provide flex schedules for our court staff. I will work with the Clerk of Courts to make information about the court and cases more accessible through a refresh of the very outdated website. I will also revise the forms and procedures to make them understandable to non-lawyers.

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

I look up to everyone whose dedication and determination overcame barriers, and who still retained a moral compass. This list includes everyone from legal luminaries such as Justices Marshall and Ginsburg, to personal heroes such as my five older sisters, who have all worked in "helping" professions - medicine, teaching, public defense, social work, ministry.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

The core responsibilities of a Domestic Relations Court judge are:

- ensure we have a culturally competent staff who are laser-focused on public service
- ensure all processes and procedures are understandable to non-lawyers, as more than half of the families seeking help in the Court cannot afford attorneys
- ensure that all parenting agreements are in the children's best interest and all property agreements are equitable

- ensure that cases move through in a timely manner to decrease the anxiety and tension in the family

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

The assassination of John F. Kennedy. Growing up in a large Irish Catholic household and neighborhood, we all revered President Kennedy. I can still see the nuns crying as they went from door to door at our grade school.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

My first job, other than babysitting, was busing tables at Ponderosa Steak House when I was 14. Thus began my 9 years of restaurant work, which is how I paid for all of my college expenses, from tuition to rent.

Are there any little-known powers or responsibilities held by this office that you believe more people should be aware of?

Domestic Relations Court judges have very wide discretion in making our decisions about parenting rights, property allocation, and support awards. Because of this wide discretion, it is critical that we have judges and magistrates with substantial experience in this area of law.

How would you describe your legal philosophy?

Give clear guidance to parties as they are in the negotiation stage so they have some outline for settlement. Be available whenever possible to answer questions. When the parties have settled as much as they can, get a trial set - letting family cases linger only causes the friction and tension in the family to grow.

Is there a particular judge, past or present, whom you admire?

Judge Tim Oliver, who hired me as one of his magistrates. He was an admirable combination of knowledge, efficiency, and compassion.

Do you believe that empathy is an important quality for a judge?

Not only is empathy important, it's required of anyone dealing with families in crisis, most importantly the judge who is ultimately crafting the decisions that will have life-changing, profound effects on the family, from the parent-child relationships to the parents' incomes and households.

Have you ever been rated by a Bar Association? If so, what was the rating?

Yes. I scored well in all categories.

Why are you running for this particular court seat?

I practiced in this Court many years and know it has dedicated employees who care about families. But currently the magistrates are disproportionately responsible for the cases, causing unnecessary delay and in some cases extra expense. I plan to captain the ship and not only oversee the magistrates' work, but carry my share and more.

Do you believe that it's beneficial for a judge to have previous experience in government or politics?

Being a judge has nothing to do with being in politics, other than the process of getting the job. It's a nonpartisan position. Previous experience in government is helpful for knowing how to access resources.

What is your primary concern about today's legal system in your state?

A lack of access to justice.

What do you consider the greatest opportunity for the legal system in your state?

The greatest opportunity we have in Ohio is to continue to modernize how we handle actual physical appearances in court. Thanks to the millions expended during the pandemic to update technology, we can now take every opportunity to allow virtual appearances whenever possible. This approach saves residents time, money, and hassle.

Would you be interested in serving on a higher court in the future? If so, which court appeals to you?

No. This is the only judicial seat I would ever wish to hold.

Do you believe that Bar Association ratings are an accurate reflection of a judge’s ability?

Yes.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

2020

Anne Flottman did not complete Ballotpedia's 2020 Candidate Connection survey.

External links

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Candidate

Hamilton County Court of Common Pleas Domestic Relations Division

Personal

Footnotes

↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on October 5, 2022

Ohio courts

Federal courts:

Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals • U.S. District Court: Northern District of Ohio, Southern District of Ohio • U.S. Bankruptcy Court: Northern District of Ohio, Southern District of Ohio

State courts:

Ohio Supreme Court • Ohio District Courts of Appeal • Ohio Courts of Common Pleas • Ohio County Courts • Ohio Municipal Courts • Ohio Court of Claims

State resources:

Courts in Ohio • Ohio judicial elections • Judicial selection in Ohio

[1] Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on October 5, 2022

[1]

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Anne Flottman

Contents

Biography

Elections

2022

General election

General election for Hamilton County Court of Common Pleas Domestic Relations Division

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Hamilton County Court of Common Pleas Domestic Relations Division

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Hamilton County Court of Common Pleas Domestic Relations Division

2020

General election

General election for Hamilton County Court of Common Pleas Domestic Relations Division

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Hamilton County Court of Common Pleas Domestic Relations Division

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Hamilton County Court of Common Pleas Domestic Relations Division

Campaign themes

2022

Ballotpedia survey responses

2020

See also

External links

Footnotes

Information about voting

2025 Elections

2026 Elections

2024 Election analysis

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Public Policy

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