Supreme Court Adopts Changes to Judicial Campaign Contribution Limits
The Supreme Court of Ohio has announced the adoption of increased judicial campaign contribution limits beginning with the 2025 election cycle.
The new limits took effect on take effect Oct. 15, 2024, but first apply to municipal court candidates who are seeking judicial office in 2025. The adjusted limits correspond to the change in the Consumer Price Index that occurred over the four-year period since the rules last required the director of the Ohio Board of Professional Conduct to compute the percentage change in 2020. See the chart below to view the new limits for individuals, organizations, and political parties according to the primary and general elections and judges’ jurisdictional levels.
| CANDIDATE FOR: | INDIVIDUAL | ORGANIZATION | POLITICAL PARTY | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Primary | General | Primary | General | Primary | General | |
| Supreme Court Chief Justice and Justice | $5,000 | $5,000 | $9,100 | $9,100 | $247,500 | $453,900 |
| Court of Appeals | $1,700 | $1,700 | $5,000 | $5,000 | $49,500 | $99,200 |
| Common Pleas, Municipal, and County Court more than 750,000 | $800 | $800 | $5,000 | $5,000 | $49,500 | $99,200 |
| 750,000 or less | $800 | $800 | $5,000 | $5,000 | $41,300 | $82,400 |
Judicial candidates seeking office in 2025 may begin soliciting and receiving contributions on November 7, 2024.
The amendments adopted by the Supreme Court also make it clear that the revised contribution limits apply to judicial candidates who appear on the ballot in 2025 and subsequent years. Judicial candidates who appear on the 2024 ballot and engage in fundraising activities from October 15, 2024, through the post-election fundraising period that ends March 5, 2025, remain subject to the existing limits.