Women in the Ohio Judiciary
Florence Allen: Trail-Blazer in Ohio and the Nation
Florence Allen was the first woman ever elected to a judicial office in the nation, when she successfully ran for the Cuyahoga Court of Common Pleas in 1920. Two years later, in 1922, she ran for the Ohio Supreme Court and won, making her the first woman in the nation to serve on a state high court. In 1934, President Franklin D. Roosevelt appointed her to a U.S. Court of Appeals, making her the first woman to serve on the federal bench.
Photo: Cleveland Public Library
Maureen O'Connor: Ohio's First Female Chief Justice
Maureen O'Connor was Ohio's first female chief justice. Her judicial career began in 1992, when she was elected to the Summit County Court of Common Pleas. She served as Ohio's lieutenant governor from 1998 until 2002, and then ran for a seat on the state supreme court as an associate justice. In 2010, she ran for chief justice and won. During O'Connor's tenure as chief justice, she tackled a wide variety of issues, including reforming judicial elections, leading a multi-state response to the opioid crisis, and creating a non-partisan website (JudicialVotesCount.org) that provides information on judicial candidates. Because of Ohio’s age limits, O'Connor was not able to run again in 2022, and retired after a career on the bench that spanned two decades.
Photo: Ohio Supreme Court
Women Who Have Served on the Ohio Supreme Court
Florence Allen
First elected in 1922
Left in 1934 to serve on U.S. Court of Appeals
First woman on the court
Photo: Cleveland Public Library
Blanche Krupanski
Appointed in 1981 by Governor Rhodes
Lost 1982 election
Served on all 4 levels of Ohio judicial system
Photo: Columbus Citizen Journal/www.photohio.org
Alice Robie Resnick
First elected in 1988
Did not seek reelection in 2006
Founder of Task Force on Gender Fairness
Photo: Ohio Supreme Court
Deborah Cook
First elected in 1994
Left in 2003 to serve on U.S. Court of Appeals
As attorney, first female partner at her firm
Photo: Ohio Supreme Court
Evelyn Stratton
Appointed in 1996
Retired in 2012 before term expired
Founder of Advisory Committee on Mental Illness & the Courts
Photo: Ohio Supreme Court
Maureen O'Connor
First elected in 2002 (still serving)
Became first female chief justice in 2011
Served as Ohio Lieutenant Governor
Photo: Ohio Supreme Court
Judith Lanzinger
First elected in 2004
Retired in 2016 (aged out)
Served on all 4 levels of Ohio judicial system
Photo: Ohio Supreme Court
Yvette McGee Brown
Appointed in 2011
Lost 2012 election to Sharon Kennedy
First Black woman on high court
Photo: Ohio Supreme Court
Sharon Kennedy
First elected in 2012 (still serving)
Won all 88 counties in her reelection campaign
Began career as police officer
Photo: Ohio Supreme Court
Judith French
Appointed in 2012
Lost 2020 election to Jennifer Brunner
As Assistant Attorney General, argued 2 cases at U.S. Supreme Court
Photo: Ohio Supreme Court
Mary DeGenaro
Appointed in January 2018
Lost 2018 election to Melody Stewart
Served 17 years as Ohio Court of Appeals Judge
Photo: Ohio Supreme Court
Melody Stewart
First elected in 2018 (still serving)
First Black woman elected to the high court
Has a PhD in addition to a JD
Photo: Cleveland.com
Jennifer Brunner
First elected in 2020 (still serving)
Served as Ohio's Secretary of State from 2007 to 2011
Photo: Ohio Supreme Court
Things to know about Ohio's Judiciary
All judges serve for 6-year terms, with mandatory retirement at age 70. Judges are allowed to finish the term during which they turn 70.
Ohio elects its judges using a method not used in any other state. Judicial candidates first run in a partisan primary, usually in the spring. The winners of these primaries then run in a non-partisan general election in the fall, with no party label after their name.
If Ohio Supreme Court justices leave before their terms expire, the governor appoints replacements to fill the unexpired term.