This article is part of the Voters Guide produced in partnership with the League of Women Voters of the Akron Area.
Description of Race/Referendum:
Full term commencing Jan. 2, 2025.
To view the complete profiles of candidates, visit Judicial Votes Count.
Joseph T. Deters
Republican
Candidate Email: joe@joedeters.com
Training / Experience: 1982-1988; Assistant Hamilton County Prosecutor 1988-1992; Hamilton County Clerk of Courts 1992-1998 and 2005-2023; Hamilton County Prosecutor 1999-2004; Treasurer, State of Ohio 2023-present; Justice, Ohio Supreme Court
Website: joedeters.com
Facebook: facebook.com/VoteJoeDeters
Education: B.A.; University of Cincinnati J.D.; University of Cincinnati College of Law
List your judicial experience (courts and years)
Ohio Supreme Court, 2023-present
What about your non-judicial legal experience qualifies you to be a judge?
I spent more than 25 years as county prosecutor in a major urban county arguing cases of all types. Over that time, my office and I handled tens of thousands of felony and civil cases in local, state, and federal courts.
Why are you running for this particular court seat?
I am running for this seat to continue serving the people of Ohio on the Supreme Court for the full term spanning 2025-2030.
Melody Stewart
Democrat
Candidate Email: stewartforohiosupremecourt@gmail.com
Training/Experience: Justice‚ Supreme Court of Ohio, Judge, Ohio Court of Appeals (Eighth District), Assistant Dean for Admissions and Financial Aid, Cleveland State University College of Law. Read more at https://www.judicialvotescount.org
Twitter: Stewart4OhioSC
Website: stewartforohiosupremecourt.com
Facebook: facebook.com/StewartforOhioSupremeCourt
Education: Honorary Doctorate, Cleveland State University. Read more at https://www.judicialvotescount.org
List your judicial experience (courts and years)
Justice on the Supreme Court of Ohio, 2019 to present (5+ years).
Judge on the Ohio Court of Appeals‚ 2006 to 2018 (12 years).
What about your non-judicial legal experience qualifies you to be a judge?
Prior to being elected and re-elected to the Court of Appeals and then being elected to the Supreme Court — serving 17 years writing law — I had a varied legal career practicing law and teaching law. I practiced law primarily as a civil defense litigator in state and federal courts and worked in several capacities in legal and higher education for a combined 16 years. I served in multiple administrative capacities and taught courses in ethics and professional responsibility; criminal law; criminal procedure; and legal research, writing, and advocacy. In my doctoral studies, I was able to explore the intersection of law and social science — researching and writing in the areas of elder law and caregiving, and juvenile delinquency to name a couple areas of study. This prior non-judicial experience helps me to ask the right questions of lawyers and litigants, colleagues and court staff, and of myself before deciding a case. My non-judicial background has also served me well with recognizing the complexities and nuances of cases that come before us and serves as a reminder to always judge the case, not the parties.
Why are you running for this particular court seat?
I am currently the incumbent Justice running for re-election to the seat that I criss-crossed the State of Ohio campaigning for in 2018, that I received bipartisan support for during that campaign, and that the voters of Ohio saw fit to elect me to in 2018. I am an even stronger Justice/Public Servant now as I complete my first six-year term on the Ohio Supreme Court. So running for re-election to the seat I currently hold is necessary to continue serving the public and our judiciary. I am the most experienced appellate jurist on the Supreme Court of Ohio.
