Steve Simon (Ohio)

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

Steve Simon

Nonpartisan

Elections and appointments

Last election

November 5, 2024

Education

Bachelor's

University of Michigan, 1990

Law

University of Cincinnati College of Law, 1997

Personal

Birthplace

Waltham, Mass.

Profession

Lawyer

Contact

Campaign website

Campaign Facebook

Campaign Instagram

Steve Simon (Nonpartisan, Democratic Party) ran for election for judge of the Hamilton County Court of Common Pleas General Division in Ohio. Simon lost in the general election on November 5, 2024. He advanced from the Democratic primary on March 19, 2024.

Simon completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Steve Simon was born in Waltham, Massachusetts. Simon's career experience includes working as a lawyer. He earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Michigan in 1990 and a law degree from the University of Cincinnati College of Law in 1997.

Elections

2024

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

General election

General election for Hamilton County Court of Common Pleas General Division

Katie Casch defeated Steve Simon in the general election for Hamilton County Court of Common Pleas General Division on November 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Katie Casch (Nonpartisan)	51.7	170,843
		Steve Simon (Nonpartisan)	48.3	159,850

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 330,693
= 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

Steve Simon advanced from the Democratic primary for Hamilton County Court of Common Pleas General Division on March 19, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Steve Simon	100.0	27,302

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 27,302
= 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

Katie Casch advanced from the Republican primary for Hamilton County Court of Common Pleas General Division on March 19, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Katie Casch	100.0	32,062

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 32,062
= 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

Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Simon in this election.

Campaign themes

2024

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Steve Simon completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Simon'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 practicing law for 27 years in Cincinnati, principally in the field of labor and employment law. I have devoted my career to representing working people, including labor unions and individual employees who have suffered injustices in the workplace. I also have been a leader in the community. I served as president of the Pleasant Ridge Community Council, a city neighborhood where my wife and I raised our two sons. I am proud to have spearheaded a years-long effort to desegregate the neighborhood’s elementary school, which had been abandoned by the middle-class decades earlier. Thanks to the work of dozens of parents and community leaders, the school's student body is now as diverse, economically and racially, as the neighborhood that surrounds it. Finally, through my experience on the community council I deeply understand the importance of keeping neighborhoods safe so they can thrive, and I believe judges have an important role to play in ensuring the public's safety.

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?

• If elected, I will ensure attorneys practicing before me significantly fulfill their obligations to their clients and the court; I will do so by leading by example and will cultivate a reputation as a hard-working, well-prepared, and conscientious judge.
• I promise to treat every party in my courtroom, regardless of their background, with the utmost respect.
• I believe the courthouse needs more transparency so the public gains a better understanding of the outcomes in cases. Specifically, I intend to advocate for more transparency in criminal sentencing, so that this information is readily available to both the public and other judges, which will encourage uniformity in sentences.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Civil and criminal justice and public safety. (Under the ethical rules governing judicial candidates, we are constrained from taking public positions on most areas of public policy.)

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

Integrity and strong work ethic.

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

To act with integrity, to decide cases on the merits, and to explain the court's reasoning.

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

I was born in 1968, a year that was a particularly chaotic and difficult one for our country. I like to remind people who today get very worried about our nation's future that things looked very bleak the year I was born too. But there are countless good things that have happened in the last 50+ years and many reasons to believe that we will continue to progress and prosper in the U.S. despite the difficulties we face today.

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

In civil lawsuits judges have the power to dismiss cases before they are presented to a jury. In my experience as an attorney who has filed lawsuits on behalf of working people, judge sometimes abuse this power by dismissing cases that should properly be decided by a jury. If elected, I will strictly follow the civil rules of court in making these decisions.

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

Yes.

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

No.

What organizations or individuals have endorsed your campaign?

Endorsements

Hamilton County Democratic Party

Cincinnati AFL-CIO

Greater Cincinnati UAW CAP Council

Ohio AFSCME

Ironworkers Local 44

Greater Cincinnati Building and Construction Trades Council

Planned Parenthood Advocates of Ohio

IBEW Local 212

UFCW Local 75

What are your views on financial transparency and government accountability?

As indicated above, I believe the courthouse needs more transparency, particularly as it relates to criminal sentencing.

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

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

Government

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External links

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Candidate

Hamilton County Court of Common Pleas General Division

Website

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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