Nicole Sanders (Ohio)

Nicole Sanders

Democratic Party

Candidate, Hamilton County Court of Common Pleas General Division

Hamilton County Court of Common Pleas General Division

Tenure

2021 - Present

Term ends

2027

Years in position

5

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Report an officeholder change

Elections and appointments

Last election

November 3, 2020

Next election

May 5, 2026

Education

Bachelor's

University of Cincinnati, 2000

Law

University of Cincinnati College of Law

Personal

Birthplace

Cincinnati, OH

Profession

Magistrate judge

Nicole Sanders (Democratic Party) is a judge of the Hamilton County Court of Common Pleas General Division in Ohio. She assumed office on January 3, 2021. Her current term ends on January 2, 2027.

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

Burke presides over Hamilton County's Drug Court in the Court of Common Pleas. She was elected to the court in 2020.

Biography

Nicole Sanders was born in Cincinnati, Ohio. She earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Cincinnati and a J.D. from the University of Cincinnati College of Law. Sanders' career experience includes working as a common please magistrate judge with the juvenile court.

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

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

		Candidate
		Nicole Sanders

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined.
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Endorsements

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2020

See also: Municipal elections in Hamilton County, Ohio (2020)

General election

General election for Hamilton County Court of Common Pleas General Division

Nicole Sanders defeated incumbent Kim Wilson Burke in the general election for Hamilton County Court of Common Pleas General Division on November 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Nicole Sanders (Nonpartisan)	57.5	207,310
	Submit photo	Kim Wilson Burke (Nonpartisan)	42.5	153,529

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 360,839
= 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.

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Hamilton County Court of Common Pleas General Division

Nicole Sanders defeated Christine Patel in the Democratic primary for Hamilton County Court of Common Pleas General Division on April 28, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Nicole Sanders	67.7	46,839
	Submit photo	Christine Patel	32.3	22,321

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 69,160
= 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 General Division

Incumbent Kim Wilson Burke advanced from the Republican primary for Hamilton County Court of Common Pleas General Division on April 28, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Submit photo	Kim Wilson Burke	100.0	32,106

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 32,106
= 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.

Endorsements

To view Sanders' endorsements in the 2020 election, please click here.

Campaign themes

2026

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Nicole Sanders has not yet completed Ballotpedia's 2026 Candidate Connection survey. If you are Nicole Sanders, click here to fill out Ballotpedia's 2026 Candidate Connection survey.

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2020

Nicole Sanders completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Sanders' responses.

Expand all | Collapse all

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I am a mother, grandmother, legal professional, lifelong resident of Hamilton County Ohio and Magistrate Juvenile Common Pleas Magistrate Judge.

I earned a Bachelor of Science Degree from the University of Cincinnati and received my J.D. from the University of Cincinnati College of Law. After graduating, Nicole joined the City of Cincinnati Prosecutor's office as an Assistant City Prosecutor handling municipal criminal, vehicular homicide, and traffic cases. Nicole was promoted to an Assistant City Solicitor position handling general civil litigation, contract law, income tax, personal injury defense, administrative law, and employment law cases. Nicole was also the Prosecutor for the Mental Health Court, a specialized docket in Municipal Court focused on treatment.

Nicole was Chief Counsel, a section that she both created and managed. Under Nicole's leadership, the section became a very successful section of the Cincinnati Law Department. In April 2013, Nicole was appointed as a Common Pleas Magistrate in the Hamilton County Juvenile Court. As a Magistrate working in the Hamilton County Juvenile Court, she frequently interacts with people who are fighting the battle of addiction.

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?

• The Drug Court needs to expand treatment accessibility to the minority community to ensure fairness, overcome racial disparities and reduce recidivism rates related substance abuse addiction disorder.
• Racial disparities in the Criminal Legal System in bail reform and jury selections must be addressed.
• n/a

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Addressing racial disparities in the Criminal Legal System.

Is there a book, essay, film, or something else you would recommend to someone who wants to understand your political philosophy?

Just Mercy, and a time to kill ( look at the defense attorney's commitment to his client and justice under immense pressure).

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

Honesty, fairness, common sense, legal knowledge , compassion, awareness of implicit biases , humbleness and transparency.

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

I am a true believer in justice and that the criminal legal system can work. I am a firm but fair compassionate person with diverse legal and life experiences. I draw from those experiences daily to see people as people instead of labels. I am committed to addressing systematic racial disparities in the criminal legal system with substantive bail reform, increasing minority inclusion on juries and creating transparency and accountability analytics that are available to the public.

What legacy would you like to leave?

I would like to leave a legacy of restorative justice behind me. I would like to be recognized as someone who walked humbly and acted with compassion in giving people the chance to rebuild their lives after contact with the criminal legal system. I do not want to be recognized as a judge or person that deliberately or callously harmed people.

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

The 1st historical event I can remember was when the Space Shuttle Challenger exploded, I was 12 at the time and was watching at Catholic School.

What is your favorite book? Why?

Their Eyes Were Watching God.

If you could be any fictional character, who would you want to be?

Eve Dallas or Okoye from Wakanda

What was the last song that got stuck in your head?

Better Days are Coming by Le Andria Johnson

What is something that has been a struggle in your life?

I have a learning disability and it still plagues me today, however, it has never stopped me from achieving any goal I set for myself. I have learned to not be ashamed to to use the struggle to motivate others who have the same difficulties. It is also a reminder to see people for who they are instead of the label they are given.

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

Unfortunately most people in Hamilton County are unaware that the Drug Court even exists and don't even know the name of the current Judge. The Hamilton County Drug Court must do better in educating the community about its existence, available treatment programs and be more accessible and transparent about acceptance, rejection , graduation and recidivism rates.

How would you describe your legal philosophy?

My legal philosophy is simple justice is the goal of the criminal legal system. To ensure justice in the criminal legal system ,it must include fairness, compassion and restorative justice as a significant guiding principles.

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

Justice Thurgood Marshall, Ruth Bader Ginsberg, and Elena Kagan. Locally, Judge John Burlew, Judges Duane and William Mallory, Judge Fanon Rucker, Judge Alan Triggs and of course Judge William McClain.

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

Yes, empathy is a necessary quality for a judge to ensure that every person before the judge is recognized as a person and not identified by the criminal offense
that person charged of or convicted. Empathy can help ensure that every is treated equally and with respect. Finally, empathy is a necessary component when sentencing.

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

No. There was a survey completed by practitioners of the Cincinnati Bar Association but there was not an actual rating issued.

Why are you running for this particular court seat?

I believe that I can better lead the Drug Court through the opioid crisis , expand treatment access and educate the community about the Court's role in reducing overdoses.

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

I do not believe a judge should have previous government or political experience because some of the best judges are those that have a diverse lived experience unrelated to government or politics. I believe it is important for judges to have diverse legal and life experiences so that they can better understand the diverse persons that appear before them.

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

The racial disparities in setting bail, lack of diversity in the jury selection and failure of objective analytics to measure the progress of the judges on the bench.

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

The opportunity to enact substantive criminal bail reform and the way we select the juries.

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

No, right now in this moment, I am dedicated and focused on serving the community as the Hamilton County Drug Court Judge.

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

Yes and no. Depends on the diversity of the bar membership.

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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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