Brunner seeks second Ohio Supreme Court term in 2026

Justice Jennifer Brunner, a Democrat, is seeking a second term on the Ohio Supreme Court against Republican Colleen T. O'Donnell.

Brunner has held public and legal roles in Ohio spanning more than four decades, including judge, secretary of state and appellate court judge. Her campaign platform emphasizes criminal justice reform and expanded access to the courts. Warren County voters will see this race on their ballot.

Candidate information

Party: Democratic
Office sought: Ohio Supreme Court Justice (Term Commencing 1/2)
Election date: Nov. 3, 2026
Birthplace: Springfield, Ohio
Education: Bachelor's degree in sociology, Miami University (1978); J.D., Capital University (1983)
Current position: Justice, Supreme Court of Ohio (2021–present), according to the Ohio Supreme Court

Experience and public service

Brunner began her legal career as an attorney at the Ohio Secretary of State's Office from 1983 to 1987, according to the Ohio Supreme Court's biography of her. She also served as a committee secretary and legislative aide in the Ohio Senate.

She founded a private law firm and practiced from 1988 to 2000. Voters elected her in 2000. She served on the Franklin County Common Pleas Court as a judge until 2005. While on that bench, she founded the county's adult felony drug court in 2004, the TIES Program (Treatment is Essential to Success), which remains in operation, according to the Ohio Supreme Court's biography.

Brunner served as Ohio's first female secretary of state from 2007 to 2011, overseeing the 2008 presidential election. In 2008, she received the John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award for her public service in that role, according to the Ohio Supreme Court. She is the first of two Ohioans to receive the award.

She ran in the 2010 Democratic primary for U.S. Senate. After leaving the secretary of state's office, she worked as a rule of law expert and consultant for USAID and the U.S. State Department from 2011 to 2014. She also served as a partner at Brunner Quinn during that period.

Brunner won election to the Tenth District Court of Appeals in 2014 and served there until joining the Supreme Court in 2021. She was the Democratic nominee for chief justice in 2022. She is studying remotely at the University of York in the United Kingdom for a Ph.D. in sociology, according to the Erie County Democrats.

On the issues

The following positions are Brunner's own stated responses, according to her campaign website.

Criminal justice and public safety: Brunner says she would promote greater access to justice through technology initiatives to keep people safe and make remote participation easier. She says she would join initiatives to identify systemic racism in the criminal justice system through the creation of sentencing data across Ohio. She also says she supports bail reform for greater equality for Ohioans.

Civil rights: Brunner says she would make it easier for transgender individuals to access accurate records such as birth certificates.