Ohio Supreme Court elections, 2020

2020 State Judicial Elections
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The seats of two Ohio Supreme Court justices were up for nonpartisan election on November 3, 2020. A partisan primary was scheduled for April 28, 2020.

Justice Sharon Kennedy (R) defended her seat by winning election against John P. O’Donnell (D) while justice Judith French (R) lost to Jennifer Brunner (D). The partisan balance on the court is now a four to three Republican majority. Although elections for the Ohio Supreme Court are officially nonpartisan, they are preceded by a partisan primary.

Election procedure changes in 2020

See also: Changes to election dates, procedures, and administration in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, 2020

Ballotpedia provided comprehensive coverage of how election dates and procedures changed in 2020. While the majority of changes occurred as a result of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, some changes occurred for other reasons.

Ohio modified its absentee/mail-in voting procedures for the November 3, 2020, general election as follows:

• Absentee/mail-in voting: Absentee ballot applications could be submitted by fax or email for the general election.

For a full timeline about election modifications made in response to the COVID-19 outbreak, click here.

Candidates and election results

French's seat

General election

General election for Ohio Supreme Court

Jennifer L. Brunner defeated incumbent Judith French in the general election for Ohio Supreme Court on November 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Jennifer L. Brunner (Nonpartisan)	55.3	2,695,072
		Judith French (Nonpartisan)	44.7	2,174,820

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 4,869,892
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Ohio Supreme Court

Jennifer L. Brunner advanced from the Democratic primary for Ohio Supreme Court on April 28, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Jennifer L. Brunner	100.0	675,231

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 675,231
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Republican primary election

Republican primary for Ohio Supreme Court

Incumbent Judith French advanced from the Republican primary for Ohio Supreme Court on April 28, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Judith French	100.0	618,739

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 618,739
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Kennedy's seat

General election

General election for Ohio Supreme Court

Incumbent Sharon L. Kennedy defeated John P. O'Donnell in the general election for Ohio Supreme Court on November 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Sharon L. Kennedy (Nonpartisan)	55.1	2,735,041
		John P. O'Donnell (Nonpartisan)	44.9	2,231,724

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 4,966,765
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Ohio Supreme Court

John P. O'Donnell advanced from the Democratic primary for Ohio Supreme Court on April 28, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		John P. O'Donnell	100.0	659,196

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 659,196
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Republican primary election

Republican primary for Ohio Supreme Court

Incumbent Sharon L. Kennedy advanced from the Republican primary for Ohio Supreme Court on April 28, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Sharon L. Kennedy	100.0	637,255

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 637,255
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Past elections

2018

See also: Ohio Supreme Court elections, 2018

General election

General election for Ohio Supreme Court

Michael P. Donnelly defeated Craig Baldwin in the general election for Ohio Supreme Court on November 6, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Michael P. Donnelly (D)	61.0	2,170,227
		Craig Baldwin (R)	39.0	1,385,435

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 3,555,662
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Ohio Supreme Court

Michael P. Donnelly advanced from the Democratic primary for Ohio Supreme Court on May 8, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Michael P. Donnelly	100.0	501,831

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified.	Total votes: 501,831
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Republican primary election

Republican primary for Ohio Supreme Court

Craig Baldwin advanced from the Republican primary for Ohio Supreme Court on May 8, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Craig Baldwin	100.0	595,000

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified.	Total votes: 595,000
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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General election

General election for Ohio Supreme Court

Melody Stewart defeated incumbent Mary DeGenaro in the general election for Ohio Supreme Court on November 6, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Melody Stewart (D)	52.6	1,853,418
		Mary DeGenaro (R)	47.4	1,667,258

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 3,520,676
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Nonpartisan primary election

Nonpartisan primary for Ohio Supreme Court

Incumbent Mary DeGenaro and Melody Stewart advanced from the primary for Ohio Supreme Court on May 8, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Mary DeGenaro (R)	53.8	581,244
✔		Melody Stewart (D)	46.2	500,084

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified.	Total votes: 1,081,328
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Click [show] at the right to view more past election results.

2016 See also: Ohio Supreme Court elections, 2016 November 8 general election Incumbent Maureen O'Connor (Ohio) ran unopposed in the general election for the Ohio Supreme Court, O'Connor's seat. Ohio Supreme Court, O'Connor's Seat, 2016 Party Candidate Vote % Votes      Republican Maureen O'Connor (Ohio) Incumbent (unopposed) 100.00% 3,562,413 Total Votes (100% reporting) 3,562,413 Source: Ohio Secretary of State Official Results Pat Fischer defeated John P. O'Donnell in the general election for the Ohio Supreme Court, Lanziger's seat. Ohio Supreme Court, Lanziger's Seat, 2016 Party Candidate Vote % Votes      Republican Pat Fischer 50.28% 2,044,984      Democratic John P. O'Donnell 49.72% 2,022,514 Total Votes (100% reporting) 4,067,498 Source: Ohio Secretary of State Official Results Pat DeWine defeated Cynthia Rice in the general election for the Ohio Supreme Court, Pfeiffer's seat. Ohio Supreme Court, Pfeifer's Seat, 2016 Party Candidate Vote % Votes      Republican Pat DeWine 56.31% 2,438,641      Democratic Cynthia Rice 43.69% 1,892,450 Total Votes (100% reporting) 4,331,091 Source: Ohio Secretary of State Official Results March 15 primary election Ohio Supreme Court, Justice O'Connor's Seat Republican Primary, 2016 Party Candidate Vote % Votes      Republican Maureen O'Connor Incumbent (unopposed) 100.00% 1,353,231 Total Votes 1,353,231 Source: Ohio Secretary of State Official Results Ohio Supreme Court, Justice Lazinger's Seat Republican Primary, 2016 Party Candidate Vote % Votes      Republican Pat Fischer 54.26% 761,771      Republican Colleen O'Toole 45.74% 642,048 Total Votes 1,403,819 Source: Ohio Secretary of State Official Results Ohio Supreme Court, Justice Lazinger's Seat Democratic Primary, 2016 Party Candidate Vote % Votes      Democratic John P. O'Donnell  (unopposed) 100.00% 776,945 Total Votes 776,945 Source: Ohio Secretary of State Official Results Ohio Supreme Court, Justice Pfiefer's Seat Republican Primary, 2016 Party Candidate Vote % Votes      Republican Pat DeWine  (unopposed) 100.00% 1,336,648 Total Votes 1,336,648 Source: Ohio Secretary of State Official Results Ohio Supreme Court, Justice Pfiefer's Seat Democratic Primary, 2016 Party Candidate Vote % Votes      Democratic Cynthia Rice  (unopposed) 100.00% 807,997 Total Votes 807,997 Source: Ohio Secretary of State Official Results

About the Ohio Supreme Court

See also: Ohio Supreme Court

Founded in 1803, the Ohio Supreme Court is the state's court of last resort and has final authority over the interpretation of Ohio law and the Ohio Constitution. It is composed of seven justices: six justices and a chief justice. Most of the cases the court hears are appeals from the twelve district courts of appeals in Ohio. The court was established by Article IV Section 1 of the Ohio Constitution.

Political composition

This was the political composition of the supreme court heading into the 2020 election.

■ Pat DeWine		Elected in 2016
■ Michael P. Donnelly		Elected in 2018
■ Pat Fischer		Elected in 2016
■ Judith French		Appointed by Gov. John Kasich (R) in 2013; elected in 2014
■ Sharon L. Kennedy		Elected in 2012 and 2016
■ Maureen O'Connor		Elected in 2002, 2010, and 2016
■ Melody Stewart		Elected in 2018

Selection

The seven justices of the Ohio Supreme Court are selected through partisan primaries followed by nonpartisan general elections to six-year terms on the court. In the event of a midterm vacancy, the governor appoints a replacement. The appointee serves until the next general election taking place 40 or more days after the vacancy occurred. If re-elected, the justice serves the remainder of his or her predecessor's unexpired term.

Qualifications

To serve on the supreme court, a justice must be:

• at least six years in the practice of law; and
• under the age of 70.

Selection of the chief justice

The chief justice of the Ohio Supreme Court is chosen by voters at large, serving a full six-year term in that capacity. Ohio is one of seven states in which the chief justice is elected by voters.

External links

• Search Google News for this topic
• Ohio Supreme Court

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

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