COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio voters will decide two Ohio Supreme Court races on Nov. 3, including a contest that could remove the court’s only elected Democrat and leave Republicans in control of all seven seats. Justice Jennifer Brunner, a Democrat who has served on the court since 2021, is seeking another term against Republican Colleen O’Donnell, a former Franklin County Court of Common Pleas judge. In the other race, Republican Justice Dan Hawkins is facing Marilyn Zayas, a Democratic judge on the First District Court of Appeals in Hamilton County. The Ohio Supreme Court is the state’s highest court and has final authority over the interpretation of Ohio law and the state Constitution. Its seven justices serve staggered six-year terms and are elected statewide. The court must hear death-penalty appeals, appeals from Ohio courts of appeals and cases involving conflicting appellate decisions. It may also choose to hear civil and criminal cases with broad public impact or significant constitutional questions. Brunner, a Springfield native, previously served on the Tenth District Court of Appeals in Franklin County from 2014 through 2020. She earned a sociology-gerontology degree from Miami University and a law degree from Capital University Law School. Her campaign emphasizes fairness, equality and respect for Ohioans, and she has advocated for LGBTQ+ rights and mental-health issues. Brunner has been endorsed by the Ohio Democratic Party, Ohio Federation of Teachers, Planned Parenthood Advocates of Ohio and Ohio Citizen Action, which focuses on clean energy and utility accountability. O’Donnell served on the Franklin County Court of Common Pleas from 2013 to 2023. She later worked for about six months in 2023 as a federal immigration judge in Laredo, Texas. She is from Rocky River and holds degrees from Miami University and Case Western Reserve University School of Law. O’Donnell’s campaign says she wants to uphold the rule of law, protect public safety and maintain a conservative majority on the court. She highlights her immigration rulings and her record involving violent offenders. Her endorsements include the Fraternal Order of Police of Ohio, Buckeye Firearms Association and Ohio Right to Life. Hawkins, a Columbus native, was elected to the Supreme Court in 2024 after serving as a Franklin County Court of Common Pleas judge beginning in 2019. He studied criminal justice at Bowling Green State University and earned his law degree from the Ohio State University Moritz College of Law. Before joining the bench, Hawkins spent a decade directing the Franklin County Prosecutor’s Office Special Victims Unit, which handled cases involving violent crimes against women and children, including homicide, sexual assault and child abuse. His campaign describes him as a qualified and dedicated jurist committed to integrity and justice. Hawkins has received endorsements from several major business and agricultural groups, including the Ohio Chamber of Commerce, National Federation of Independent Business of Ohio, Ohio Business Roundtable, Ohio Farm Bureau and Ohio Manufacturers’ Association. Those groups also endorse O’Donnell. Zayas has served on the First District Court of Appeals since 2016. Before becoming a judge, she practiced law for nearly two decades. She was born in East Harlem in New York City and has lived in Ohio since 1988. She studied computer science at the City College of New York and earned her law degree from the University of Cincinnati College of Law. Zayas says the court should prioritize law over politics and remain free from outside influence. She points to a judicial record she says has earned trust across political lines. Her endorsements include the Ohio Democratic Party, Ohio Citizen Action, Planned Parenthood Advocates of Ohio and the National Association of Social Workers of Ohio. The election will determine whether Brunner retains the only Democratic seat on the court and whether Hawkins keeps the position he won in 2024. Justices must be younger than 70 when they take office, and Ohio imposes no strict term limits on the court.