Carly Edelstein

Carly Edelstein (Democratic Party) is a judge of the Ohio Tenth District Court of Appeals. She assumed office on January 3, 2023. Her current term ends on January 2, 2029.

Edelstein (Democratic Party) ran for election for judge of the Ohio Tenth District Court of Appeals. She won in the general election on November 8, 2022.

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

Biography

Carly Edelstein earned a bachelor's degree from Brown University in 2008, a graduate degree from Loyola Marymount University in 2010, and a J.D. from the University of California, Irvine School of Law in 2013. Her career experience includes working as a public defender. She has also worked as a legal services manager for Equitas Health, staff attorney in the U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights, and law clerk to Eric L. Clay on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit. Edelstein has been affiliated with the following organizations:^[1]

American Constitution Society, Columbus Lawyer Chapter
Columbus Bar Association, LGBT Committee
National Association for Public Defense
Franklin County Democratic Party
Franklin County Democratic Lawyers Club
Capital Law School Moot Court
Ohio State Bar Association Content Advisory Board
TransOhio/Equitas Health Name and Gender Change Clinic, volunteer
Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association, volunteer

Elections

2022

General election

General election for Ohio Tenth District Court of Appeals

Carly Edelstein defeated incumbent Keith McGrath in the general election for Ohio Tenth District Court of Appeals on November 8, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Carly Edelstein (D)	62.7	260,070
	Submit photo	Keith McGrath (R)	37.3	154,725

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 414,795
= 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 Ohio Tenth District Court of Appeals

Carly Edelstein advanced from the Democratic primary for Ohio Tenth District Court of Appeals on May 3, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Carly Edelstein	100.0	64,080

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 64,080
= 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 Ohio Tenth District Court of Appeals

Incumbent Keith McGrath advanced from the Republican primary for Ohio Tenth District Court of Appeals on May 3, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Submit photo	Keith McGrath	100.0	54,487

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 54,487
= 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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Campaign finance

Endorsements

To view Edelstein's endorsements in the 2022 election, please click here.

Campaign themes

2022

Ballotpedia survey responses

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

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Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I am a career appellate public defender at the Office of the Ohio Public Defender, where I fight every day for the rights of people who cannot afford an attorney. I supervise a team of attorneys and carry my own caseload. I have litigated in courts of appeals throughout the state and in the Ohio Supreme Court. I am the only 10th District Court of Appeals candidate whose career has focused on appellate litigation on behalf of marginalized communities. My public defender practice and experience clerking for a federal court of appeals make me uniquely qualified to handle the day-to-day work of an appellate judge and treat everyone who comes before me with dignity and humanity.

I live in Worthington with my husband, Ben, our two daughters, Charlotte and Isabelle, and our dog, Sadie. The most fulfilling moment of this campaign was when three-year-old Charlotte pointed to the “J is for Judge" page in one of her books and said, “Like Mommy.”

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?

Most of my legal career has been focused on appeals, which makes me uniquely qualified for a position on the 10th District Court of Appeals. Day in and day out, I review trial court records, conduct extensive legal research, draft pleadings, and argue my cases before panels of appellate judges. And as a law clerk for the federal court of appeals, I engaged with cases from the perspective of the judiciary -- I reviewed parties' briefs, observed oral argument, and drafted opinions for publication in Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky, and Tennessee. I have extensive experience thinking about and engaging with the law at the appellate level, and I am fully prepared to do the work of a 10th District Court of Appeals judge.
I believe in fairness and equity -- no matter who you are. That is an essential part of my work as a public defender and it is an essential part of being a judge.
Public service has been a constant in my life since I was a child. I believe deeply in serving the community and striving to make it better for everyone. That is what I have done throughout my career and will continue to do if elected to the 10th District Court of Appeals.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

As a former teacher and attorney at the U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights, I have always been committed to ensuring all children have equal access to a quality education.

And in my work as a public defender, I am committed to ensuring all people receive quality representation in the legal system, are treated fairly, and feel they have been heard when their case has concluded.

Striving toward equity in our systems is a common thread throughout my career.

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

Judges are elected by the people to safeguard our institutions, protect rights, honor precedent, and make sure everyone feels welcome, safe, and respected when they walk through the courthouse doors. Judges also have an obligation to improve public understanding of the courts and the laws that are enforced by our judiciary.This includes a responsibility to stay present in and connected to the community we serve -- physically getting out into the community and talking to people about the law and how it impacts their lives.

What legacy would you like to leave?

I want to be remembered as a public servant who fought for justice and equity. As a public defender, I work every day to make sure my clients are treated with dignity and their voices are heard. If I am privileged enough to be elected by the people of Franklin County to the 10th District Court of Appeals, I hope I am remembered as a judge who listened when people came before her, who brought a little more humanity to the resolution of appellate cases, and who protected rights and honored precedent.

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

My very first job after graduating from college was teaching in Los Angeles. As an idealistic first-year middle school teacher, I experienced first-hand the country's broken education system. My classroom leaked and had no windows, most of my students qualified for free or reduced-cost lunch, my students did not have access to an extensive library, and teachers were asked to leave immediately after classes ended due to safety issues in the surrounding neighborhood -- the neighborhood where my students lived and went to sleep every night. As a classroom teacher, I wanted to do more. So, after two years in the classroom, I went to law school. Lawyers have a lot of power, and I wanted to leverage all of that power to create change and improve opportunities for my students and kids like them.

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

Like the United States Supreme Court, the Ohio Supreme Court takes very few appeals. As a result, the 10th District Court of Appeals is the court of last resort for most legal disputes arising in Franklin County.

How would you describe your legal philosophy?

Courts must do justice within the bounds of our system. It is my desire to adjudicate cases with care, compassion, and an open mind. Everyone involved in our legal system should have an equal chance at justice, regardless of their means or their background. And it is a judge’s responsibility to make that a reality. This includes doing the hard and thoughtful work necessary to render considered opinions, so that even if a party is unhappy with a result, they will walk away from the experience feeling that their voice was heard and they were given a chance to fully present their case. This is the kind of judge I will be if elected to the 10th District Court of Appeals.

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

My judicial role models include United States Supreme Court Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Sonia Sotomayor and United States Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Eric L. Clay, who I worked for following law school. These jurists unyieldingly stand strong for what they believe the law is and should be. They aggressively pursue justice and make sure that even when they are in the minority, their voices are heard through robust, informed dissents. They know that even when they are in the minority and their opinions will not govern, it is important to write a strongly-worded dissent that may be used sometime in the future to get the law right.

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

Absolutely. The legal system includes a respect for precedent, for statutes, and for the constitution, but it also requires a respect for people. Everyone who appears before our courts should be treated with dignity and respect and have an equal chance at justice, regardless of their means, identity, or background. If elected, I will render decisions in a thoughtful and compassionate manner, with an open mind.

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

I received a 5-star rating (out of 5) from the Columbus Bar Association. The Columbus Bar Association's Judicial Preference Poll identified me as the preferred candidate in this race.

Why are you running for this particular court seat?

I am running for this seat on the 10th District Court of Appeals because we need a diversity of perspectives and experiences on the bench. I have been a teacher, a federal court of appeals clerk doing the work of an appellate judge every day, a civil rights attorney at the U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights, a legal services manager at Equitas Health running a statewide name and gender change clinic to support the transgender community, and an appellate public defender representing people in the courts of appeals across the state and the Ohio Supreme Court.

Through all of this work, I have seen where the courts got it right, but I have also seen the courts fail my clients, fail to do justice. I am running for this seat because no one on this court has the experience I have fighting for the underdog, working with clients who cannot afford an attorney in a system that requires access to quality representation, and fighting every day to make sure people are treated with dignity and respect by our systems. I will bring my breadth of experience and unique perspective as a civil rights attorney and public defender to the Court of Appeals.

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

Yes. Candidates are rated by a committee that is made up entirely of attorneys who understand the qualities and experience that make a good judge. This committee is both politically balanced and representative of the entire legal profession, drawing from all areas and types of practice.

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.

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Ohio Tenth District Court of Appeals

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Footnotes

↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on September 28, 2022

[bio-1] Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on September 28, 2022

[1]

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Carly Edelstein

Contents

Biography

Elections

2022

General election

General election for Ohio Tenth District Court of Appeals

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Ohio Tenth District Court of Appeals

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Ohio Tenth District Court of Appeals

Campaign finance

Endorsements

Campaign themes

2022

Ballotpedia survey responses

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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