Districts of the Ohio District Courts of Appeals

TheOhio Ninth District Court of Appeals is one of 12 intermediate appellate court districts inOhio. It is based in Akron and presides overLorain,Medina,Summit andWayne counties inOhio.^[1]

Published opinions of the Ohio Ninth District Court of Appeals can be foundhere.

Ohio Ninth District Court of Appeals
Court information
Judges:	5
Salary:	Associates: $178,108[2]
Judicial selection
Method:	Partisan election of judges
Term:	6 years

Judges

Salary

See also:Ohio court salaries and budgets

In 2025, the associate judges of the court received a salary of $178,108, according to the National Center for State Courts.^[3]

Judicial selection

See also:Judicial selection in Ohio

The judges of theOhio District Courts of Appeal are selected through partisan primaries and partisan general elections. Previously, these judges were selected through partisan primaries and nonpartisan general elections, known as theMichigan method.^[4][5] The number of judges on the court of appeals varies by district over time, based on district size and caseload. Each district has between four and 12 judges.^[6]

All judges serve six-year terms, after which they are required to run for re-election if they wish to remain on the court. District courts of appeal candidates are chosen in their respective appellate districts.^[7]

Qualifications

To serve on the Ohio District Courts of Appeals, a judge must:

• have at least six years in the practice of law;
• be licensed to practice law in the state for at least one year preceding appointment or commencement of the judge's term;
• a judge of a court of record in any jurisdiction in the U.S.; and
• be under the age of 70.^[8]

Presiding judge

The manner in which thepresiding judge is chosen for each appellate district varies among the districts.^[9]

Vacancies

In the event of a midterm vacancy, thegovernor appoints a replacement. The appointee serves until the next general election taking place 40 or more days after the vacancy occurred. If re-elected, the judge serves the remainder of his or her predecessor's unexpired term.^[7]

Elections

• 2030
• 2028
• 2026
• 2024
• 2022
• 2020
• 2018

See also: Ohio intermediate appellate court elections, 2030

There are noofficial candidates yet for this election.

See also: Ohio intermediate appellate court elections, 2028

Term starts 02/11/2029

There are noofficial candidates yet for this election.

Term starts 02/09/2029

There are noofficial candidates yet for this election.

Term starts 02/10/2029

There are noofficial candidates yet for this election.

See also: Ohio intermediate appellate court elections, 2026

General election

The primary will occur on May 5, 2026. The general election will occur on November 3, 2026. General election candidates will be added here following the primary.

Democratic primary

Democratic primary for Ohio Ninth District Court of Appeals

IncumbentBetty Sutton (D) is running in the Democratic primary for Ohio Ninth District Court of Appeals on May 5, 2026.

		Candidate
		Betty Sutton

---

	Incumbents arebolded and underlined.
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Republican primary

Republican primary for Ohio Ninth District Court of Appeals

Cynthia Curtin (R) is running in the Republican primary for Ohio Ninth District Court of Appeals on May 5, 2026.

		Candidate
	Submit photo	Cynthia Curtin

---

	There are noincumbents in this race.
= candidate completed theBallotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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See also: Ohio intermediate appellate court elections, 2024

General election

General election for Ohio Ninth District Court of Appeals

IncumbentJennifer Lee Hensal (R) defeatedSteve Elliott (D) in the general election for Ohio Ninth District Court of Appeals on November 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Jennifer Lee Hensal (R)	54.2	298,562
	Submit photo	Steve Elliott (D)	45.8	252,078

---

	Incumbents arebolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 550,640
= candidate completed theBallotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary

Democratic primary for Ohio Ninth District Court of Appeals

Steve Elliott (D) advanced from the Democratic primary for Ohio Ninth District Court of Appeals on March 19, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Submit photo	Steve Elliott	100.0	52,303

---

	There were noincumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 52,303
= candidate completed theBallotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Republican primary

Republican primary for Ohio Ninth District Court of Appeals

IncumbentJennifer Lee Hensal (R) advanced from the Republican primary for Ohio Ninth District Court of Appeals on March 19, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Jennifer Lee Hensal	100.0	74,435

---

	Incumbents arebolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 74,435
= candidate completed theBallotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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See also: Ohio intermediate appellate court elections, 2022

Donna Carr's seat

General election

General election for Ohio Ninth District Court of Appeals

IncumbentDonna Carr (R) defeatedErica Voorhees (D) in the general election for Ohio Ninth District Court of Appeals on November 8, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Donna Carr (R)	54.4	225,815
	Submit photo	Erica Voorhees (D)	45.6	189,417

---

	Incumbents arebolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 415,232
= candidate completed theBallotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary

Democratic primary for Ohio Ninth District Court of Appeals

Erica Voorhees (D) advanced from the Democratic primary for Ohio Ninth District Court of Appeals on May 3, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Submit photo	Erica Voorhees	100.0	45,910

---

	There were noincumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 45,910
= candidate completed theBallotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Republican primary

Republican primary for Ohio Ninth District Court of Appeals

IncumbentDonna Carr (R) advanced from the Republican primary for Ohio Ninth District Court of Appeals on May 3, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Donna Carr	100.0	69,920

---

	Incumbents arebolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 69,920
= candidate completed theBallotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Thomas Teodosio's seat

General election

General election for Ohio Ninth District Court of Appeals

Scot Stevenson (R) defeated incumbentThomas A. Teodosio (D) in the general election for Ohio Ninth District Court of Appeals on November 8, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Submit photo	Scot Stevenson (R)	50.7	211,909
		Thomas A. Teodosio (D)	49.3	206,400

---

	Incumbents arebolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 418,309
= candidate completed theBallotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Jill Flagg Lanzinger (R)

Democratic primary

Democratic primary for Ohio Ninth District Court of Appeals

IncumbentThomas A. Teodosio (D) advanced from the Democratic primary for Ohio Ninth District Court of Appeals on May 3, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Thomas A. Teodosio	100.0	48,079

---

	Incumbents arebolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 48,079
= candidate completed theBallotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Republican primary

Republican primary for Ohio Ninth District Court of Appeals

Jill Flagg Lanzinger (R) advanced from the Republican primary for Ohio Ninth District Court of Appeals on May 3, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Jill Flagg Lanzinger	100.0	70,294

---

	There were noincumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 70,294
= candidate completed theBallotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Lynne Callahan's seat

General election

General election for Ohio Ninth District Court of Appeals

Jill Flagg Lanzinger (R) defeatedAmber Crowe (D) in the general election for Ohio Ninth District Court of Appeals on November 8, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Jill Flagg Lanzinger (R)	53.9	223,037
	Submit photo	Amber Crowe (D)	46.1	190,405

---

	Incumbents arebolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 413,442
= candidate completed theBallotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Lynne S. Callahan (R)

Democratic primary

Democratic primary for Ohio Ninth District Court of Appeals

Amber Crowe (D) advanced from the Democratic primary for Ohio Ninth District Court of Appeals on May 3, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Submit photo	Amber Crowe	100.0	45,521

---

	There were noincumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 45,521
= candidate completed theBallotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you,complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Republican primary

Republican primary for Ohio Ninth District Court of Appeals

IncumbentLynne S. Callahan (R) advanced from the Republican primary for Ohio Ninth District Court of Appeals on May 3, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Lynne S. Callahan	100.0	70,286

---

	Incumbents arebolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 70,286
= candidate completed theBallotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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See also: Ohio intermediate appellate court elections, 2020

General election

General election for Ohio Ninth District Court of Appeals

Betty Sutton (Nonpartisan) defeated incumbentJulie A. Schafer (Nonpartisan) in the general election for Ohio Ninth District Court of Appeals on November 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Betty Sutton (Nonpartisan)	54.1	271,875
		Julie A. Schafer (Nonpartisan)	45.9	230,938

---

	Incumbents arebolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 502,813
= candidate completed theBallotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary

Democratic primary for Ohio Ninth District Court of Appeals

Betty Sutton (D) advanced from the Democratic primary for Ohio Ninth District Court of Appeals on April 28, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Betty Sutton	100.0	81,213

---

	There were noincumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 81,213
= candidate completed theBallotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Republican primary

Republican primary for Ohio Ninth District Court of Appeals

IncumbentJulie A. Schafer (R) advanced from the Republican primary for Ohio Ninth District Court of Appeals on April 28, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Julie A. Schafer	100.0	47,649

---

	Incumbents arebolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 47,649
= candidate completed theBallotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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See also: Ohio intermediate appellate court elections, 2018

General election

General election for Ohio Ninth District Court of Appeals

IncumbentJennifer Lee Hensal (R) defeatedDiana Colavecchio (D) in the general election for Ohio Ninth District Court of Appeals on November 6, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Jennifer Lee Hensal (R)	52.2	179,997
		Diana Colavecchio (D)	47.8	164,567

---

	Incumbents arebolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 344,564
= candidate completed theBallotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary

Democratic primary for Ohio Ninth District Court of Appeals

Diana Colavecchio (D) advanced from the Democratic primary for Ohio Ninth District Court of Appeals on May 8, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Diana Colavecchio	100.0	53,692

---

	There were noincumbents in this race. The results have been certified.	Total votes: 53,692
= candidate completed theBallotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Republican primary

Republican primary for Ohio Ninth District Court of Appeals

IncumbentJennifer Lee Hensal (R) advanced from the Republican primary for Ohio Ninth District Court of Appeals on May 8, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Jennifer Lee Hensal	100.0	52,115

---

	Incumbents arebolded and underlined. The results have been certified.	Total votes: 52,115
= candidate completed theBallotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Previous election results

2016

See also:Ohio judicial elections, 2016

Candidates

Judge Carr's seat

■Donna Carr (R)(Unopposed/Incumbent)

Seat 2

■Thomas A. Teodosio (D)
■Diana Stevenson (R)

Seat 3

■Lynne S. Callahan (R)(Unopposed)

Election results

November 8 general election

IncumbentDonna Carr ran unopposed in the general election for the Ohio Ninth District Court of Appeals, Carr's seat.

Ohio Ninth District Court of Appeals, Carr's Seat, 2016
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Donna CarrIncumbent (unopposed)	100.00%	322,928
Total Votes (100% reporting)				322,928
Source:Ohio Secretary of State Official Results

Thomas A. Teodosio defeatedDiana Stevenson in the general election for the Ohio Ninth District Court of Appeals, Seat 2.

Ohio Ninth District Court of Appeals, Seat 2, 2016
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Thomas A. Teodosio	59.29%	243,047
	Republican	Diana Stevenson	40.71%	166,892
Total Votes (100% reporting)				409,939
Source:Ohio Secretary of State Official Results

Lynne S. Callahan ran unopposed in the general election for the Ohio Ninth District Court of Appeals, Seat 3.

Ohio Ninth District Court of Appeals, Seat 3, 2016
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Lynne S. Callahan (unopposed)	100.00%	321,329
Total Votes (100% reporting)				321,329
Source:Ohio Secretary of State Official Results

March 15 primary election

Ohio Ninth District Court of Appeals, Judge Carr's Seat Republican Primary, 2016
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Donna CarrIncumbent (unopposed)	100.00%	105,115
Total Votes				105,115
Source:Ohio Secretary of State Official Results

Ohio Ninth District Court of Appeals,Seat 2 Republican Primary, 2016
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Diana Stevenson (unopposed)	100.00%	105,936
Total Votes				105,936
Source:Ohio Secretary of State Official Results

Ohio Ninth District Court of Appeals,Seat 2 Democratic Primary, 2016
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Thomas A. Teodosio (unopposed)	100.00%	87,764
Total Votes				87,764
Source:Ohio Secretary of State Official Results

Ohio Ninth District Court of Appeals,Seat 3 Republican Primary, 2016
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Lynne S. Callahan (unopposed)	100.00%	107,254
Total Votes				107,254
Source:Ohio Secretary of State Official Results

2014

See also:Ohio judicial elections, 2014

Term commencing 2/9/2015

Candidate	Incumbency	Party	Primary Vote	Election Vote
SchaferJulie A. SchaferA	No	Republican	100%A	53.7%   A
BelfanceEve Belfance	Yes	Democratic	100%A	46.3%   D

2012

See also:Ohio judicial elections, 2012

Candidate	Incumbency	Party	Term	Primary Vote	Election Vote
DickinsonClair Dickinson	Yes	Democratic			48.67%   A
HensalJennifer Lee Hensal   A	No	Republican			51.33%   A

2010

See also:Ohio judicial elections, 2010

Ohio Ninth District Court of Appeals 2010 elections

Court	Candidates	Details	Results
Ninth District, Term Commencing February 9	(D):Carla Moore (R):William Wellemeyer	Carla Moore was up for re-election.	Carla Moore won with 57.6 percent of the vote.
Ninth District, Term Commencing February 10	(D):Robert J. Brown (R):Donna Carr	Donna Carr was up for re-election.	Donna Carr won with 54.4 percent of the vote.
Ninth District, Term Commencing February 11	(R):Beth Whitmore (D):Rita Rochford	Beth Whitmore was up for re-election.	Beth Whitmore won with 68.2 percent of the vote.

Ethics

TheOhio Code of Judicial Conduct sets forth ethical guidelines and principles for the conduct of judges and judicial candidates inOhio. It consists of four overarching canons:

• Canon 1: "A judge shall uphold and promote the independence, integrity, and impartiality of the judiciary, and shall avoid impropriety and the appearance of impropriety."
• Canon 2: "A judge shall perform the duties of judicial office impartially, competently, and diligently."
• Canon 3: "A judge shall conduct the judge’s personal and extrajudicial activities so as to minimize the risk of conflict with the obligations of judicial office."
• Canon 4: "A judge or judicial candidate shall not engage in political or campaign activity that is inconsistent with the independence, integrity, or impartiality of the judiciary."^[10]

The full text of theOhio Code of Judicial Conduct can be foundhere.

Removal of judges

Judges inOhio may be removed in one of three ways:^[11][12]

• Retirement, removal or suspension by a specialSupreme Court commission.
• Removal by a concurrent resolution of two-thirds of the members of both houses of theOhio General Assembly.
• Conviction by a two-thirds vote of theOhio Senate, upon impeachment by a majority vote of theOhio House of Representatives.

State profile

Presidential voting pattern

See also:Presidential voting trends in Ohio

Ohiovoted Republican in five out of the seven presidential elections between 2000 and 2024.

Pivot Counties (2016)

Ballotpedia identified 206 counties that voted forDonald Trump (R) in 2016 after voting forBarack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012. Collectively, Trump won thesePivot Counties by more than 580,000 votes. Of these 206 counties, nine are located in Ohio, accounting for 4.37 percent of the total pivot counties.^[13]

Pivot Counties (2020)

In2020, Ballotpedia re-examined the 206 Pivot Counties to view their voting patterns following that year's presidential election. Ballotpedia defined those won by Trump won asRetained Pivot Counties and those won byJoe Biden (D) asBoomerang Pivot Counties. Nationwide, there were 181 Retained Pivot Counties and 25 Boomerang Pivot Counties. Ohio had eight Retained Pivot Counties and one Boomerang Pivot County, accounting for 4.42 and 4.00 percent of all Retained and Boomerang Pivot Counties, respectively.

More Ohio coverage on Ballotpedia

• Elections in Ohio
• United States congressional delegations from Ohio
• Public policy in Ohio
• Endorsers in Ohio
• Ohio fact checks
• More...

See also

Ohio	Judicial Selection	More Courts
Courts in OhioOhio District Courts of AppealsOhio Supreme Court	Elections:2026 •2025 •2024 •2023 •2022 •2021 •2020 •2019 •2018 •2017Gubernatorial appointmentsJudicial selection in Ohio	Federal courtsState courtsLocal courts

External links

• Ohio Ninth District Court of Appeals, Website

Footnotes

v • e Ohio District Courts of Appeals Judicial selection in Ohio •2026 elections •Ohio Supreme Court
First District	Peter Stautberg  •  Marilyn Zayas  •  Jennifer Kinsley  •
Second District	Mike Fain  •  Jeffrey M. Welbaum  •  Mary Katherine Huffman  •  Michael L. Tucker (Ohio)  •  Chris Epley  •  Ronald Lewis (Ohio)  •
Third District	John Willamowski  •  Richard M. Rogers (Ohio)  •  William R. Zimmerman  •  Mark Miller (Ohio court of appeals)  •  Juergen Waldick  •
Fourth District	Marie Hoover  •  Valarie Gerlach  •  Mike Hess  •  Kristy Wilkin  •
Fifth District	Scott Gwin  •  William Hoffman  •  John Wise  •  Patricia Delaney  •  Andrew King (Ohio)  •
Sixth District	Thomas Osowik  •  Gene Zmuda  •  Steve Yarbrough (Ohio)  •  Christine Mayle  •  Charles Sulek  •
Seventh District	Cheryl Waite  •  Carol Ann Robb  •  Mark Hanni  •  Katelyn Dickey  •
Eighth District	Mary Boyle  •  Sean Gallagher  •  Mary Kilbane  •  Emanuella Groves  •  Kathleen Ann Keough  •  Deena R. Calabrese  •  Eileen T. Gallagher  •  Timothy McCormack (Ohio)  •  Eileen A. Gallagher  •  Michelle Sheehan  •  Lisa Forbes  •
Ninth District	Carla Moore  •  Donna Carr  •  Beth Whitmore  •  Scot Stevenson  •  Jennifer Lee Hensal  •  Jill Flagg Lanzinger  •
Tenth District	Julia L. Dorrian  •  Terri Jamison  •  Betsy Luper Schuster  •  David Leland  •  Kristin Boggs  •  Michael Mentel  •  Carly Edelstein  •
Eleventh District	Mary Jane Trapp  •  Colleen O'Toole  •  Eugene A. Lucci  •  John Eklund (Ohio)  •  Matt Lynch  •  Robert Patton  •
Twelfth District	Stephen Powell  •  Michael E. Powell (Ohio)  •  Robin N. Piper  •  Matthew Byrne  •