Hamilton County Municipal Court Judge Donte Johnson is running for a seat on the Hamilton County Court of Common Pleas, General Division term beginning January 1, 2027, in the Nov. 3 general election. Katie Casch is also running. The race is nonpartisan.

Asked why he is seeking the office, Johnson said in our questionnaire, "I am seeking this office to bring vital representation and dedicated leadership to the Hamilton County Court of Common Pleas. Currently, there is only one Black man presiding on the Court. Diverse perspectives and professional background experiences matter deeply on a court that so directly affects the lives of our community."

Johnson said in our questionnaire that he is "also guided by a commitment to honor a legacy of public service." He described Judge Melba D. Marsh as "the longest-serving Black judge in Hamilton County history," adding, "Her seat carries tremendous weight and responsibility, and I take seriously the duty of ensuring her docket is managed with the same level of care, respect, and integrity."

Candidate information

Party affiliation: "Democratic Party"

Education: "University of Cincinnati, College of Law (JD); Howard University (BA)"

Family: "Married with children"

Endorsements: AFL-CIO and Hamilton County Democratic Party, according to BallotReady.

Recognition: According to Johnson's campaign page on X, he was featured in the 10th Anniversary Edition of Who's Who in Black Cincinnati and named to the Cincinnati Business Courier's 2024 40 Under 40 class.

Experience and public service

Johnson said in our questionnaire that he has served as a Hamilton County Municipal Court judge since 2021, where he has "managed tens of thousands of cases and presided over hundreds of trials."

Johnson said in our questionnaire that at the Cincinnati Metropolitan Housing Authority he "…negotiated multi-million-dollar contracts, and collaborated on eviction-prevention initiatives that significantly reduced filings. Secured $350,000+ in tenant assistance funding."

He also served as trial counsel at the Hamilton County Public Defender's Office from 2012 to 2017 and maintained a private law practice.

On the issues

What distinguishes him from his opponent: Johnson said in our questionnaire, "What distinguishes me in this race is both the breadth of my legal experience and my commitment to stability on the bench." He added, "My opponent was just elected to a six-year term on the Court of Common Pleas in 2024. Running for a different seat on the exact same court with four years left on her term creates an unnecessary judicial vacancy, one that would take the decision away from voters and hand it to a political appointment by the governor."

Bond and sentencing decisions: Asked about his approach, Johnson said in our questionnaire, "For bond decisions, my priority is public safety paired with procedural fairness. Unnecessary pretrial detention can cause non-violent individuals to lose housing and employment before trial. I rely on risk-based assessments, reserving high bonds for genuine public safety threats or flight risks, while utilizing structured supervision for non-violent cases."

On sentencing, Johnson said in our questionnaire, "I distinguish between violent offenders requiring incarceration to protect the community and individuals driven by addiction, mental health issues, or economic hardship."

What he would bring to the Common Pleas bench: Johnson said in our questionnaire, "My foundation before taking the bench was built across every major area that comes before a Common Pleas judge." He added, "Because a court's authority relies on public trust, my work across local mentorship programs, civil rights initiatives, and legal education allows me to bring an approachable, community-grounded judicial temperament to the bench."

The general election is Nov. 3, 2026.