Ohio voters elected a judge from the First District Court Appeals on Nov. 8 for an opening on the Ohio Supreme Court.

According to unofficial results from the Ohio Secretary of State’s Office, Judge Pat DeWine defeated Eleventh District Court of Appeals Judge Cynthia W. Rice.

For the other open seat on the Supreme Court on the ballot, First District Court of Appeals Judge Patrick F. Fischer led Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court Judge John P. O’Donnell by more than 24,000 votes, according to unofficial results Wednesday from the Secretary of State, with about 260,000 absentee and provisional ballots still to be counted.

Supreme Court Chief Justice Maureen O’Connor, who was unopposed in the general election, retained her seat on the Court for her second and final six-year term as chief justice.

Judge DeWine will replace Justice Paul E. Pfeifer while the other seat will replace Justice Judith Ann Lanzinger. Justices Pfeifer and Lanzinger were barred from serving again by the Ohio constitutional age restriction.

From a historical standpoint, Tuesday’s election marked the first time since 1992 that there were two open seats on the Court. Tuesday’s election also will end the longest continual female majority membership on the Court, which began Jan. 1, 2011.

As for the other 150-plus judicial seats on the ballot in appeals courts, common pleas courts, and county courts, view the unofficial results compiled by Supreme Court staff or consult one of Ohio’s 88 county boards of elections.

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