Marilyn Zayas, a judge on the Ohio First District Court of Appeals based in Hamilton County, is running for Ohio Supreme Court Justice in the Nov. 3 general election. She faces Republican Daniel R. Hawkins.

Asked why she is seeking the seat, Zayas said in our candidate questionnaire: "I believe everyone deserves courts they can trust to follow the Constitution, the law and the facts, not politics … I have accepted zero corporate contributions from energy, banking or insurance interests because judicial independence matters."

Candidate information

Party: Democrat

Education: Juris doctor, University of Cincinnati College of Law, 1997. Bachelor of science in computer science, City College of the City University of New York, 1987.

Family: Zayas said in our questionnaire: "My parents came to the United States from Puerto Rico. My mother had only a seventh-grade education and worked as a factory seamstress. After leaving a difficult marriage, she raised three children on a factory salary. She taught us the value of hard work, perseverance, integrity and courage … I am also a mother of three adult children."

Background: Born in East Harlem, New York City. In 2016, Zayas became the first person of Latino heritage elected to a Court of Appeals in Ohio and the first Latina elected to any position in Hamilton County, according to her First District Court of Appeals biography. The National Hispanic Bar Association selected her as the 2024 Latina Judge of the Year.

Experience and public service

Zayas described her work history in our questionnaire: "I am a Judge on the Ohio First District Court of Appeals, where I have served for nearly a decade and decided more than 2,000 appeals across Ohio. I have also served repeatedly on the Ohio Supreme Court by special assignment, replacing a recused justice."

She added: "I have nearly 20 years of experience as an attorney, representing individuals, families and businesses in state and federal matters, including criminal, family, immigration, intellectual property, labor and employment, custody, adoption and business cases."

Before law school, Zayas worked as an IT manager at Procter & Gamble from 1988 to 1994, according to her Wikipedia page. She also served as an attorney at the Hamilton County Public Defender's Office and as an intellectual property litigator at Holland & Hart. After her 2016 election, she founded the Educating Tomorrow's Leaders program, which invites students to the Court of Appeals to learn about the law.

On the issues

Judicial endorsements of political candidates: Asked about an Ohio Supreme Court ruling that allowed judges to make political endorsements, Zayas said in our questionnaire: "I disagree with the decision because judicial independence is not only about being impartial; it is also about maintaining public confidence in that impartiality … I will never endorse a political candidate. I believe judges should leave politics at the courthouse door."

Precedent: Zayas said in our questionnaire: "Stability in the law is essential. Precedent should carry substantial weight because people, courts, businesses and government rely on established law when making decisions. The Supreme Court should overrule its prior decisions only when there is a compelling reason to do so … overruling precedent should be the exception, not the rule."

Party labels on judicial ballots: Zayas said in our questionnaire: "I believe that both party endorsements and partisan ballot labels politicize the judiciary and undermine public confidence in independent courts." She said her Educating Tomorrow's Leaders program has "… reached and inspired more than 2,000 students across Ohio." She also said she would support "the appropriate expansion of Veterans, Mental Health, and Drug Courts to foster safer communities."

What sets her apart: Zayas said in our questionnaire: "A critical distinction is that I have accepted zero campaign contributions from energy, banking, and insurance interests … I remain a political outsider, endorsed by attorneys across the political spectrum."

Zayas has received endorsements from the Hamilton County Democratic Party, the AFL-CIO, Ohio Democrats and others, according to BallotReady.