Donte Johnson

Donte Johnson

Democratic Party

Candidate, Hamilton County Court of Common Pleas General Division

Hamilton County Municipal Court District 2

Tenure

2021 - Present

Term ends

2030

Years in position

5

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Report an officeholder change

Elections and appointments

Last election

November 7, 2023

Next election

May 5, 2026

Education

Bachelor's

Howard University, 2007

Law

University of Cincinnati College of Law, 2010

Personal

Birthplace

Cincinnati, OH

Donte Johnson is a judge for District 2 of the Hamilton County Municipal Court in Ohio. He assumed office in 2021. His current term ends on January 2, 2030.

Johnson (Democratic Party) is running for election for judge of the Hamilton County Court of Common Pleas General Division in Ohio. He is on the ballot in the Democratic primary on May 5, 2026.^[source]

Biography

Donte Johnson was born in Cincinnati, Ohio. He earned a bachelor's degree from Howard University in 2007 and a law degree from the University of Cincinnati College of Law in 2010.

Elections

2026

See also: Municipal elections in Hamilton County, Ohio (2026)

General election

The primary will occur on May 5, 2026. The general election will occur on November 3, 2026. General election candidates will be added here following the primary.

Democratic primary

Democratic primary for Hamilton County Court of Common Pleas General Division

Donte Johnson (D) is running in the Democratic primary for Hamilton County Court of Common Pleas General Division on May 5, 2026.

		Candidate
		Donte Johnson

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	There are no incumbents in this race.
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Republican primary

Republican primary for Hamilton County Court of Common Pleas General Division

Incumbent Katie Casch (R) is running in the Republican primary for Hamilton County Court of Common Pleas General Division on May 5, 2026.

		Candidate
		Katie Casch

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined.
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Endorsements

Ballotpedia is gathering information about candidate endorsements. To send us an endorsement, click here.

2023

See also: Municipal elections in Hamilton County, Ohio (2023)

General election

General election for Hamilton County Municipal Court District 2

Incumbent Donte Johnson won election in the general election for Hamilton County Municipal Court District 2 on November 7, 2023.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Donte Johnson (Nonpartisan)	100.0	23,054

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 23,054
= 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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Endorsements

Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Johnson in this election.

2021

See also: Municipal elections in Hamilton County, Ohio (2021)

General election

Special general election for Hamilton County Municipal Court District 2

Donte Johnson defeated Elizabeth Tye and Bertha Helmick in the special general election for Hamilton County Municipal Court District 2 on November 2, 2021.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Donte Johnson (Nonpartisan)	43.7	8,909
	Submit photo	Elizabeth Tye (Nonpartisan)	42.5	8,675
	Submit photo	Bertha Helmick (Nonpartisan)	13.8	2,815

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 20,399
= 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

2026

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Donte Johnson has not yet completed Ballotpedia's 2026 Candidate Connection survey. Send a message to Donte Johnson asking him to fill out the survey. If you are Donte Johnson, click here to fill out Ballotpedia's 2026 Candidate Connection survey.

Who fills out Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey?

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You can ask Donte Johnson to fill out this survey by using the button below or emailing donteforjudge@gmail.com.

2023

Donte Johnson completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2023. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Johnson's responses.

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Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

Judge Donte Johnson was elected to the Hamilton County Municipal Court bench on November 2, 2021. Prior to taking office, he served as a sole practitioner focusing on criminal defense, plaintiff's litigation and probate law. Before joining the private bar, he served as a Public Defender and Housing Attorney.

Judge Johnson is a native of Cincinnati. He's a Cincinnati Public Schools graduate from Clark Montessori High School, a Howard University graduate, and a graduate of the University of Cincinnati, College of Law.

He is very active in the community and serves as a motivational speaker and mentor to students and young attorneys. He’s a member of the American Judges Association, Ohio Black Judges Association, National Bar Association, Ohio Bar Association, Cincinnati Bar Association, Black Lawyers Association of Cincinnati, Cincinnati NAACP, and the League of United Latin American Citizens.

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?

• Ensure Equal Access to Justice
• Eliminate Obstacles to Success
• Maximize Court Efficiency

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Judge Johnson fights to ensure equal access to justice for every person accused of a crime, every victim of a crime, and every civil litigant that enters his courtroom.

What organizations or individuals have endorsed your campaign?

Hamilton County Democratic Party

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.

See also

2026 Elections

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External links

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Footnotes

Ohio courts

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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