Stephanie Hanna

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

Stephanie Hanna

Democratic Party

Elections and appointments

Last election

March 19, 2024

Education

Bachelor's

Michigan State University, 2005

Law

University of Toledo College of Law, 2008

Personal

Birthplace

Troy, Mich.

Profession

Attorney/Business Owner

Contact

Campaign website

Campaign Facebook

Campaign Instagram

Personal LinkedIn

Stephanie Hanna (Democratic Party) ran for election for judge of the Franklin County Court of Common Pleas General Division in Ohio. She lost in the Democratic primary on March 19, 2024.

Biography

Stephanie Hanna was born in Troy, Michigan. She earned a bachelor's degree from Michigan State University in 2005 and a J.D. from the University of Toledo College of Law in 2008. Her professional experience includes founding and owning The Other 85 and working as an attorney, including as a judicial staff attorney in the domestic relations/juvenile court. She has also been a juvenile magistrate.

Elections

2024

See also: Municipal elections in Franklin County, Ohio (2024)

General election

General election for Franklin County Court of Common Pleas General Division

Richard Brown won election in the general election for Franklin County Court of Common Pleas General Division on November 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Richard Brown (Nonpartisan)	100.0	321,313

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source 1 Source 2	Total votes: 321,313
= 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 Franklin County Court of Common Pleas General Division

Richard Brown defeated Stephanie Hanna in the Democratic primary for Franklin County Court of Common Pleas General Division on March 19, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Richard Brown	55.0	37,210
		Stephanie Hanna	45.0	30,479

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source 1 Source 2	Total votes: 67,689
= 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 Hanna in this election.

2020

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

General election

General election for Franklin County Court of Common Pleas Domestic Relations and Juvenile Division

Lasheyl Stroud defeated Stephanie Hanna in the general election for Franklin County Court of Common Pleas Domestic Relations and Juvenile Division on November 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Lasheyl Stroud (Nonpartisan)	54.6	276,561
		Stephanie Hanna (Nonpartisan)	45.4	229,821

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 506,382
= 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 Franklin County Court of Common Pleas Domestic Relations and Juvenile Division

Lasheyl Stroud advanced from the Democratic primary for Franklin County Court of Common Pleas Domestic Relations and Juvenile Division on April 28, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Lasheyl Stroud	100.0	89,386

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source 1 Source 2	Total votes: 89,386
= 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 Franklin County Court of Common Pleas Domestic Relations and Juvenile Division

Stephanie Hanna advanced from the Republican primary for Franklin County Court of Common Pleas Domestic Relations and Juvenile Division on April 28, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Stephanie Hanna	100.0	28,030

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source 1 Source 2	Total votes: 28,030
= 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.

2016

Jeffrey Brown defeated Stephanie Hanna in the general election.

Franklin County Court of Common Pleas (General Division–Sheeran seat), General Election, 2016
Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Jeffrey Brown	52.65%	196,319
Stephanie Hanna	47.35%	176,525
Total Votes		372,844
Source: Franklin County Board of Elections, "Unofficial Election Results: November 8, 2016," accessed November 9, 2016

Incumbent Patrick Sheeran ran unopposed in the Franklin County Court of Common Pleas General Division Republican primary election.

Franklin County Court of Common Pleas (General Division–Sheeran seat), Republican Primary, 2016
Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Patrick Sheeran Incumbent (unopposed)	100.00%	85,348
Total Votes		85,348
Source: Franklin County, Ohio, "2016 Primary Election Official Canvass," April 5, 2016

Selection method

See also: Nonpartisan election of judges

The 391 judges of the Ohio Courts of Common Pleas are all selected in an identical manner. Qualified individuals wishing to join the bench must participate in partisan primary elections followed by nonpartisan general elections.

The chief judges of the Ohio Courts of Common Pleas are chosen by peer vote and serve for one year.

Qualifications
To serve on an appellate or general jurisdiction court, a judge must be:

• a district or county resident (for court of appeals and common pleas judges);
• at least six years practiced in law; and
• under the age of 70.

Under the Ohio Constitution, a judge who reaches 70 years of age may be assigned by the chief justice to active duty, receiving payment on a per-day basis in addition to whatever retirement benefits he or she is entitled to.

Campaign themes

2024

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Stephanie Hanna did not complete Ballotpedia's 2024 Candidate Connection survey.

2020

Video for Ballotpedia

Video submitted to Ballotpedia Released February 26, 2020

Stephanie Hanna completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Hanna'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.

I have been an attorney for the past 12 years, spending most of my time in the courtroom as a prosecutor, judicial staff attorney, and magistrate in domestic relations/juvenile court. I have also represented families and children going through some of the most difficult times of their lives. I am a wife, parent, step-parent, small-business owner, and community advocate. I believe in our families and children and I know I can make a difference.

The seat I am running for is newly created to help alleviate the case load. I have direct experience managing busy dockets and working hard to get people the decisions they need to move forward with their lives in a timely manner. I know first-hand how much this court is in your living room and I appreciate the important role this court plays in our community.

I believe judges need to be approachable and visible in our community. They have a responsibility to help shape and direct the lives of our young people. I have served on the boards of the Children's Hunger Alliance and YWCA Columbus and take my commitment to our community very seriously.

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?

• Experience - I have managed busy dockets in our courts and I know the hard work required to keep them moving. People need access to the courts so they can move forward with their lives. I have experience practicing in the areas that consistently come before this court - divorce, dissolution, child custody, juvenile criminal, abuse/neglect/dependency, and truancy.
• Compassion - in addition to being experienced, I have a deep desire to help the families that come before the court. Many people can make decisions and move on, I want to do more than that - I want to have a lasting impact on people so they feel encouraged and empowered to do great things in their lives. Family issues are usually the lowest point in a person's life and I believe judges have to go the extra mile to match people with the right resources and tools so they can live productive lives.
• Work Ethic and Innovation - Many times in government we are reluctant to change things because that is the way things have always been done. As an entrepreneur, I am passionate about finding better, more efficient ways to do things. I am committed to working tirelessly and coming up with innovative ways (such as making more types of hearings consistently virtual, earlier virtual court hours and Saturday morning virtual court) to increase access to justice and increase efficiency.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

I am passionate about helping our young people and playing an active role in their futures. This court has the responsibility and privilege of typically being the first time a young person has contact with the court system. We have the opportunity to shape their future and play a large role in the direction their life takes. I am passionate about educating myself with the tools and skills to make me a better leader and source of encouragement and empowerment for our young people.

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

10. Why should voters support you rather than your opponent?

Experience. I have significant experience in domestic relations/juvenile court as well as other positions that directly impact this role. I have served as a staff attorney to a domestic relations/juvenile judge where I have drafted hundreds of decisions and managed a busy docket. I have experience as a prosecutor, solo practitioner, and business owner. I am also a step-parent and know firsthand the complexities of parenting arrangements and how this court has a major impact on family decisions. All these experiences allow me to uniquely understand the needs of the parties that come before the Court.
Compassion. I have a high level of compassion and desire to do more with this position other than process cases. I intend to use this position to truly impact our community outside of the courtroom walls - we need to see our judges in the community and we need to see the community in the courtroom learning about what goes on there. I also intend to use this position to mentor, encourage, and motivate the people that come before me to leave stronger than they came. Understanding that many juveniles will come before me and their interaction with the court can truly make or break their future, I will bring a high level of compassion to this role. Further, I will make sure that I and my staff are continuously trained on our implicit biases so we can identify them and learn ways to make sure they do not creep into our decision-making.

Work Ethic. I will bring a very strong work ethic to this position that will allow parties to get timely decisions so they can move forward with their lives. This Court is the busiest in the state and I am running for a seat that was created to help alleviate the high caseloads. My staff and I will answer our phones every time we hear them ring, respond to emails and voice mails, and do our very best to be timely and work full days. Families depend on the decisions

What is your favorite book? Why?

I love Hoda Kotb and her books. As a fellow Egyptian-American, her story is especially inspiring to me.

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

Absolutely. Empathy and compassion are essential qualities. That doesn't mean that you don't follow the law or that you don't issue harsh punishments when warranted, but it means that you listen and allow people to feel heard. The ability to listen and empathize validates a person's perspective. Especially in family court, people want to be heard and want to feel understood. That can go a long way to resolving a case.

Why are you running for this particular court seat?

I'm running because I believe in our families and children and know that I can make a difference. In addition to the experience, I bring a practical approach, sensible, level-headed reasoning and the deep desire to make our community a better place. I have been a step-parent for the past 7 years and I see first-hand how this court operates in people's living rooms and how critical it is to many families.

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

2024 Elections

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Candidate

Franklin County Court of Common Pleas General Division

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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