Who is running for Judge, Hamilton County Court of Common Pleas, General Division (Full term commencing 1-1-2027) in 2026?

Judge, Hamilton County Court of Common Pleas, General Division

Katie Casch is a Hamilton County Common Pleas judge who was elected in November 2024 and took office January 1, 2025 for a term that runs through December 31, 2030²⁸. She was an assistant Hamilton County prosecutor for more than 10 years before taking the bench and presides over a felony mental health court docket³⁴. On the November 3, 2026 ballot she is running for a different General Division seat, the one whose full term begins January 1, 2027; that seat is currently held by Judge Melba D. Marsh, whose term ends December 31, 2026 and who is not on the 2026 ballot, so Casch is not the incumbent for the seat she is seeking¹². Ohio prints no party next to judicial candidates on the general election ballot, so this race is nonpartisan on the ballot.

• Judge, Hamilton County Court of Common Pleas, General Division, since January 1, 2025; presides over criminal and civil dockets²³
• Certified by the Supreme Court of Ohio as a specialty docket judge; presides over a felony Mental Health Court³⁴
• Assistant Prosecuting Attorney, Hamilton County, for more than 10 years, prosecuting misdemeanor and felony cases including crimes against children and animals³⁴
• New lawyer mentor in the Supreme Court of Ohio's Lawyer to Lawyer Mentoring Program³⁴
• Bachelor's degree and JD, University of Cincinnati⁴
• Elected to the Court of Common Pleas in November 2024, defeating Steve Simon, and took office January 1, 2025; the Board of Elections lists that term as January 1, 2025 through December 31, 2030²⁸. In November 2026 she is a candidate for a different General Division seat, the full term commencing January 1, 2027, now held by Judge Melba D. Marsh, whose term ends December 31, 2026 and who is not on the certified candidate list¹². She is not the incumbent of that seat. Nominated in the Republican primary¹⁵.
• 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 Katie Casch, 80 respondents reported contact. Of those, the share rating the candidate Excellent: administrative diligence 41%, communication skills 38%, community engagement 34%, integrity/impartiality/objectivity 38%, legal experience 33%, professionalism/temperament 41%. The share rating Below Average, in the same order: 13%, 9%, 16%, 23%, 20%, 16%⁶⁷.

Judge, Hamilton County Municipal Court

Donte Johnson has been a Hamilton County Municipal Court judge since December 2021 and was re-elected in 2023 as the top vote-getter for a term beginning January 3, 2024². Before the bench he was a public defender, a housing attorney for the Cincinnati Metropolitan Housing Authority, and a solo practitioner in criminal defense, plaintiff's litigation and probate³². He is on the November 3, 2026 ballot for Common Pleas General Division, term commencing January 1, 2027¹. Ohio prints no party next to judicial candidates on the general election ballot, so this race is nonpartisan on the ballot.

• Judge, Hamilton County Municipal Court, since December 2021; re-elected in 2023 to a full term commencing January 3, 2024²
• Private practice attorney (criminal defense, plaintiff's litigation, probate)³²
• Attorney, Hamilton County Public Defender's Office, handling cases from disorderly conduct to aggravated murder³
• Housing attorney, Cincinnati Metropolitan Housing Authority³
• JD, University of Cincinnati College of Law; BA, Howard University; attorney since 2010²³
• Elected to the Hamilton County Municipal Court in November 2021 and re-elected in 2023². Nominated in the Democratic primary for the 2026 Common Pleas race¹⁴.
• 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 Donte Johnson, 63 respondents reported contact. Of those, the share rating the candidate Excellent: administrative diligence 49%, communication skills 56%, community engagement 46%, integrity/impartiality/objectivity 54%, legal experience 43%, professionalism/temperament 54%. The share rating Below Average, in the same order: 11%, 8%, 10%, 13%, 16%, 11%⁵⁶.