Judge Carly Edelstein of the Tenth District Court of Appeals knew from an early age that she wanted to make a difference when she grew up. She just didn’t know a career in law and the judiciary would be her way of accomplishing it.

In her fifth-grade career day project, Judge Edelstein wrote about becoming the first female president.

“I always wanted to do something to make the world better,” she said.

At that early age, Judge Edelstein believed becoming president would give her the tools to make the biggest difference. Over time, she discovered there are more practical and perhaps better ways to have an impact.

Judge Edelstein studied public policy in college and started her career out teaching sixth-grade English and history at a Los Angeles charter school. She was exposed to the struggles impoverished children face that are not always easily addressed in the classroom and wanted to create systemic change for her students and their communities.

Wanting to do more, she attended University of California, Irvine School of Law, worked as an attorney, and was elected judge. Now she can add an assignment to the Ohio Supreme Court to her list of accomplishments.

On Wednesday, Judge Edelstein sat for oral arguments in place of Justice Jennifer Brunner, who recused herself from Disciplinary Counsel v. Judge Timothy J. Grendell, Case No. 2024-1409.

The Ohio Constitution gives the chief justice authority to assign an appellate judge to hear a Supreme Court case when a justice recuses.

Judge Edelstein said it is a dream come true to be selected to sit on Ohio’s highest court for a day. She explained that having argued before the court as a lawyer, she is a bit starstruck and views the justices who make up the Supreme Court as roles models. She is impressed by their intellect and power to make decisions that impact the entire state.

“It is a weighty responsibility,” she said before hearing the case. “I take this opportunity very seriously, and I am beyond excited to get this chance.”

Judge Edelstein is familiar with such a duty at her current position as judge on the Tenth District Court of Appeals, where she has served for the past two years.

Entering a neutral position in the judiciary was a big change for the former public defender and activist.

Her first job as an attorney was clerking for the United States Court of Appeals in Detroit. She went on to work for the United States Department of Education in the Office for Civil Rights, then provided legal representation for Ohioans living with AIDS/HIV and members of the LGBTQ community as the Legal Services Manager at Equitas Health.

Just before taking the bench, Judge Edelstein was a supervising attorney at the Office of the Ohio Public Defender. There, she handled appellate cases as a litigator and supervised a team of attorneys. She litigated cases before most of Ohio’s appellate courts, federal courts, and the Ohio Supreme Court.

Although she was passionate about her work, Judge Edelstein was ready to apply her empathy and the skills she learned as both a civil and criminal attorney in the judiciary.

“I want to make sure my decisions reflect that every single person before us has been heard, even if they're losing.” Judge Edelstein said. “And if they're losing, I want them to really understand why.”

In her decisions, she makes an effort to write in a way that the average person can understand why they’ve won or lost their case.

“I want to be remembered as someone who's thoughtful, someone who gets in the weeds, someone who digs into a case to make sure that we reach the right results, someone who doesn't just strictly rely on the briefs that come before us, but sort of uses that as a starting point,” Judge Edelstein said.

She doesn’t rely solely on the work product provided by lawyers to make her decisions. She researches beyond the brief to ensure she reaches the right decision in every case. Because, ultimately, she said it is her role to apply the law and reach the correct decision, regardless of the resources of the parties, the extent of the attorneys’ research, or the quality of their briefs.