Rena Shak

This page was current at the end of the individual's last campaign covered by Ballotpedia. Please contact us with any updates.

Rena Shak

Nonpartisan

Elections and appointments

Last election

November 2, 2021

Education

Bachelor's

The Ohio State University, 2010

Law

Capital University Law School, 2013

Personal

Birthplace

Youngstown, Ohio

Profession

Staff attorney, Franklin County Public Defender

Contact

Campaign website

Campaign Facebook

Campaign Instagram

Personal LinkedIn

Rena Shak ran for election for judge of the Franklin County Municipal Court in Ohio. She lost in the general election on November 2, 2021.

Shak completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2021. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Rena Shak was born in Youngstown, Ohio. She earned a bachelor's degree from the Ohio State University in 2010 and a J.D. from Capital University Law School in 2013. Shak's career experience includes working as a staff attorney with the Franklin County Public Defender office.

Elections

2021

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

General election

General election for Franklin County Municipal Court

Incumbent Gina Russo defeated Rena Shak in the general election for Franklin County Municipal Court on November 2, 2021.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Gina Russo (Nonpartisan)	52.2	94,368
		Rena Shak (Nonpartisan)	47.8	86,403

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source 1 Source 2	Total votes: 180,771
= 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

2021

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Rena Shak completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2021. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Shak'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.

Rena is a criminal defense attorney at the Franklin County Public Defender’s Office, and is currently a 2021 candidate for the office of Franklin County Municipal Court Judge.

A career public defender, I spend my days zealously advocating on behalf of Central Ohio’s most underserved populations. I have handled cases ranging from traffic offenses to the most serious of felonies, including those that have been referred to specialty dockets such as drug court, human trafficking court, veterans court, and mental health court. ​

I hold a Bachelor of the Arts degree in Political Science from The Ohio State University, as well as a Juris Doctor degree from Capital University Law School. I believe that every person deserves equal justice under the law and I am committed to achieving equity in the courts. I have a lifelong passion for public service, fundraising, and volunteer work- making it my mission to serve the residents of Franklin County in and out of the courtroom.

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?

• Rehabilitative sentencing creates a more stable and safe society overall.
• An openminded, educated, and fair judiciary leads to true justice being achieved. The justice system is not shielded from the issues of the public that it serves.
• Justice should be accessible for ALL, not just some. I am dedicated to bringing true equal justice for all to the bench.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

As a candidate for judicial office, the Ohio rules of professional conduct and ethics bar me from publicly discussing my personal views on certain policy issues. However, overall, I am passionate about making sure that our public policies reflect equal treatment and true equity for all across the board regardless of race, gender, sexual orientation, or socio-economic status.

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

I look up to my parents. Both of my parents come from hardworking immigrant families, my dad immigrating to this country himself at a young age. The adversity, challenges, and struggles that my parents have overcome to create a successful life for my siblings and I constantly fuel me to use my position in the legal field to serve members of other vulnerable and marginalized communities.

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

I am a good listener and mediator. Oftentimes, my job requires the ability to navigate multiple parties and their positions all at once such as: a defendant, defendant’s family, victim, prosecutor, judge, probation officer, law enforcement, etc. The ability to take in opinions from all sides to come to an agreed upon resolution is a skill at which I believe I excel, and one that I believe will make me a successful judge.

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

Franklin County Municipal Court is the busiest courthouse in Ohio, and as such, requires a balance of empathy, proficiency, and decidedness on the bench to be sure that all criminal and civil proceedings are conducted in the appropriate manner so as to preserve the ideal of justice for all who enter the courthouse.

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

An old Greek song that I used to sing with my grandfather. I listen to it frequently, especially when I am going through a period of stress. It reminds me to take a deep breath, pick my chin up, and get to work.

How would you describe your legal philosophy?

I believe that a good judge, above all else, should be motivated by fairness, equality, and respect for all who enter the courtroom. Judges are public servants, so their focus should be facilitating justice for all. In addition, that person should exhibit humility and be willing to listen and learn. A judge cannot possibly know the extent of every law that they will consider, so they need to be humble enough to ask questions of counsel and other legal professionals in order to reach the most equitable and just result. Last, a good judge should be courteous and respectful of the time of others. They should strive to be on time to court, and to be accessible to the parties involved in any case before them.

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

100% Yes.

Why are you running for this particular court seat?

I spend my days representing society’s most vulnerable and underserved communities. Along with representation in their legal matters, I have dedicated my career to helping the public access rehabilitative resources in hopes of avoiding incarceration and further court contact. I search out addiction treatment services, mental health counseling or crisis care, employment, housing, clothing, education, and transportation for the public. Without access to these critical resources, we often see the same individuals cycling through the courts. I am excited to be running in a time where more focus is being placed on sentencing efforts to rehabilitate and stabilize in order to create more productive members of society rather than simply punitively sentence.

I am running because this is an opportunity for me to affect greater change in the justice system. I have spent my career advocating for equal justice on behalf of all. I have lived every aspect of that pursuit, experienced every type of judicial temperament, and worked on every type of criminal case. In that time, the wealth of knowledge I have gained has led me to want to take my pursuit of equity in the courts to the bench. As a judge, I will make sure that every person has access to a fair judicial system. One that is built to seek truth and justice. One of kindness, respect, and fairness for all involved. I believe that the people of Franklin County deserve that, and I am dedicated to providing it to them.

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

2021 Elections

What's on the ballot? U.S. Congress special elections State executives State legislatures State courts Ballot measures Municipal government School boards Election analysis hub

Government

Who represents me? U.S. Congress State executives State legislators State courts Ballot measures Municipal government School boards

Newsletters

Documenting America's Path to Recovery The Daily Brew The Weekly Brew The Ballot Bulletin Checks and Balances Economy and Society Hall Pass Number of the Day Robe & Gavel Union Station

External links

Search Google News for this topic

Candidate

Franklin County Municipal Court

Website

Facebook

Instagram

Personal

LinkedIn

Footnotes

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