Tuesday’s Democratic primary for one of three seats on the Ohio Supreme Court is the start of a high-stakes battle for partisan control of the court this fall.
The court, which currently has a 4-3 Republican majority, has influence over how to implement a state constitutional amendment protecting abortion rights that voters overwhelmingly approved last year.
Ohio is one of 33 states with Supreme Court elections this year, and one of the few where voters have the opportunity to overturn partisan control of the court.
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To do that, Democrats will need to win all three races in November, retain two incumbents, Judges Michael Donnelly and Melody Stewart, and win open seats. That will be a difficult task, given that the state Supreme Court has been under Republican control since 1986 and that the entire politics of the once battleground state has taken off in recent years.
But Democrats are seizing an opportunity after 57% of Ohio voters supported a reproductive rights bill last fall. They intend to draw attention to the court’s influence on the amendment’s future and view the race as a potential way to chip away at Republicans’ longstanding control over all three branches of Ohio government.
Only one seat will be up for grabs in Tuesday’s primary. In the Democratic primary, Judge Lisa Forbes of the 8th District Court of Appeals will face Judge Terry Jamison of the 10th District Court of Appeals.
Ohio Supreme Court Democratic candidate Terry Jamison, left, of Kent, Ohio, speaks at a candidate forum sponsored by the Arab American Voter Project and the Council on American-Islamic Relations in Cleveland on March 6. Talking with Waleed Abukhaled (right) of 2024. (AP Photo/Phil Long)
The winner will face Republican Judge Dan Hawkins of Franklin County Civil Court for the single seat that will be open in November. Prior to becoming a judge in the court, Hawkins worked in the Franklin County Prosecutor’s Office and as a judge in Franklin County Municipal Court.
Mr. Forbes, who is endorsed by the Ohio Democratic Party, has been a judge on the 8th District Court of Appeals since 2020. Previously, he was a partner in the Cleveland office of a national law firm, focusing on corporate and consumer class action litigation. Law.
Jamison received 43% of the vote in the 2022 race against incumbent Ohio Supreme Court incumbent Pat Fisher (Republican) and has been serving as a judge on the 10th District Court of Appeals since 2020. He also served two terms as a judge on the Franklin County Court. Preece Domestic and Juvenile Services is the public defender for Franklin County and has established his own law firm. If Jamison is elected, she would be the third Black woman to serve on the Ohio Supreme Court.
During the campaign, both candidates have hinted at the importance of building a Democratic majority on the court.
“The Supreme Court needs to be an effective firewall protecting our democracy, constitutional rights, and rule of law,” Forbes magazine said in a campaign ad. “I will never bow to political pressure and will always defend your rights.”
In a campaign ad, Jamison said the Ohio Supreme Court “should be accessible to everyone, not just the rich and powerful.”
“It can put checks and balances on people who overreach or abuse their power,” she says.
In addition to abortion, redistricting, public education, health care, the environment, and criminal justice could also emerge as campaign issues.
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Forbes and Jamison are seeking their party’s nomination for the seat to be filled by Republican Joe Deters in 2022, to be appointed by the governor.
Deters has decided to instead challenge Democratic Judge Melody Stewart for the seat, whose term ends in 2030, four years longer than her current seat. Given the state’s politics, incumbent-incumbent primaries will tend to favor Republicans.
In the third judicial election, Democratic Judge Michael Donnelly will face Republican Hamilton County Commonwealth’s Attorney Megan Shanahan in the November general election. Stewart and Donnelly were elected to the then-all-Republican court in 2018.
