Magistrate and Assistant Court Administrator, Hamilton County Probate Court

Susan Luken is a magistrate and assistant court administrator of the Hamilton County Probate Court, appointed March 22, 2023, and previously served as a Hamilton County Juvenile Court magistrate and as assistant court administrator of the Common Pleas General Division². She began her career in commercial litigation at Dinsmore & Shohl after graduating from the University of Cincinnati College of Law in 2002². She is challenging incumbent Judge Kari Bloom on the November 3, 2026 ballot¹³. Ohio prints no party next to judicial candidates on the general election ballot, so this race is nonpartisan on the ballot.

• Magistrate and Assistant Court Administrator, Hamilton County Probate Court, since March 22, 2023; presides over mental health and adoption proceedings²
• Magistrate, Hamilton County Juvenile Court, appointed 2011 (delinquency, custody, paternity and child support cases); returned as a magistrate in 2021²
• Assistant Court Administrator, Hamilton County Common Pleas General Division, from October 2012 for about 10 years²
• Law clerk, Hamilton County Common Pleas General Division, from 2006²
• Commercial litigation attorney, Dinsmore & Shohl, 2002 to 2006²
• JD, University of Cincinnati College of Law (2002, Law Review); BA, University of Cincinnati²
• Not a sitting judge; her magistrate posts were court appointments²³. Nominated in the Republican primary for the 2026 election and included on the county Republican Party's judicial slate¹⁴.
• Bar poll: Cincinnati Bar Association 2026 Hamilton County Judicial Candidate Poll. The CBA describes it as a confidential, nonpartisan survey sent to its active attorney members (the results sheet says 2,500 members of the Cincinnati legal community); 170 members responded, rating only candidates they had contact with in the past four years, on six categories, with a stated margin of error of plus or minus 4 percent. It is a non-binding member survey of attorney opinion, not an endorsement or a rating by the bar association. For Susan Luken, 45 respondents reported contact. Of those, the share rating the candidate Excellent: administrative diligence 51%, communication skills 47%, community engagement 44%, integrity/impartiality/objectivity 49%, legal experience 47%, professionalism/temperament 56%. The share rating Below Average, in the same order: 9%, 13%, 18%, 18%, 18%, 20%⁵⁶.