In a high-profile election year for state and federal races, Ohio’s judicial elections stood out for the change created with this week’s results: two newly elected Supreme Court justices, 14 defeated incumbents, and 49 attorneys who won their first judicial seats.

Two Cleveland-area judges won seats on the Ohio Supreme Court: Melody Stewart, an Eighth District Court of Appeals judge, defeated incumbent Justice Mary DeGenaro, and Michael Donnelly, a Cuyahoga County Common Pleas judge, defeated Fifth District appellate judge Craig Baldwin for a seat currently held by Justice Terrence O’Donnell, who is retiring at the end of the year.

For only the ninth time in the last 105 years the Ohio Supreme Court will welcome two new justices at the same time. Justice-elect Donnelly becomes the Court’s 160th justice and will begin his full term on Jan. 1, 2019. Justice-elect Stewart, the 161st justice, will begin her full term on Jan. 2, 2019.

Justice-elect Stewart is the first African-American woman elected to the state’s highest court and only the 12th woman to sit on the Supreme Court. Former Justice Yvette McGee Brown, the first African-American woman to be sworn in to the Supreme Court, was a gubernatorial appointee and lost her election bid to the seat. Justice-elect Stewart’s election also keeps a female majority on the Court.

Other changes from this election saw four challengers defeating appellate judges: two on the First District Court of Appeals, and one each on the Fourth and Seventh districts. Nine incumbent common pleas judges also lost bids to retain their seats.

Overall, 239 candidates were on the general election ballot for 164 judicial seats. Aside from the two new Supreme Court justices, voters selected 23 judges to the state’s Court of Appeals, 111 to county courts of common pleas, and 28 to county courts. All judges in Ohio serve six-year terms.

Those who were successful in defeating incumbents in the appellate and common pleas courts were:

• Pierre Bergeron, who replaces incumbent Charles M. Miller on the First District Court of Appeals;
• Candace Crouse, who replaces Dennis P. Deters on the First District Court of Appeals;
• Jason P. Smith, who replaces Marie Hoover on the Fourth District Court of Appeals;
• David A. D’Apolito, who replaces Kathleen Bartlett on the Seventh District Court of Appeals;
• Michael V. Repella, II, who replaces Dominick E. Olivito Jr. on the Carroll County Court of Common Pleas General and Domestic Relations Division;
• Jennifer L. O’Malley, who replaces Denise N. Rini on the Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas General Division;
• Terry Nestor, who replaces Steven E. Martin on the Hamilton County Court of Common Pleas General Division;
• Thomas O. Beridon, who replaces Curt C. Hartman on the Hamilton County Court of Common Pleas General Division (potential recount);
• Warren T. Edwards, who replaces Jim Slagle on the Marion County Court of Common Pleas General Division;
• Gerald Parker, who replaces Erik R. Blaine on the Montgomery County Court of Common Pleas General Division;
• Helen Wallace, who replaces Jeffery S. Rezabek on the Montgomery County Court of Common Pleas Juvenile Division;
• Jeremiah Ray, who replaces Robert G. Hart on the Sandusky County Court of Common Pleas General and Domestic Relations Division;
• Susan Baker Ross, who replaces Jill Flagg Lanzinger on the Summit County Court of Common Pleas General Division.

Another four candidates won judgeships this week and replace incumbent judges who were defeated in the May primary election. They are:

• Matt Lynch, who replaces Colleen Mary O’Toole on the Eleventh District Court of Appeals;
• Katrine Lancaster, who replaces Robert Vaughn on the Clark County Court of Common Pleas Domestic Relations and Juvenile Division;
• Megan L. Bickerton, who replaces C. Ashley Pike on the Columbiana County Court of Common Pleas General and Domestic Relations Division;
• Kelly L. McLaughlin, who replaces Jason T. Wells on the Summit County Court of Common Pleas General Division.

In 2019, voters in 41 Ohio counties will elect judges for municipal courts. Currently, about 80 seats will be on the ballot next year.

See JudicialVotesCount.org for a full listing of 2018 judicial election winners.