Marilyn Zayas, a Democrat and judge on the Ohio First District Court of Appeals, is running for Ohio Supreme Court Justice in the Nov. 3, 2026, general election. Republican Daniel R. Hawkins is also in the race.

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." She added, "I have accepted zero corporate contributions from energy, banking or insurance interests because judicial independence matters."

Candidate information

Party: Democrat

Education: Zayas said in our questionnaire, "J.D., University of Cincinnati College of Law, 1997. B.S. in Computer Science, City College of the City University of New York (CUNY), 1987."

Family: Zayas said, "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 added, "I am also a mother of three adult children."

Experience and public service

Zayas has served on the First District Court of Appeals since 2016. In that year, she became the first person of Latino heritage elected to a Court of Appeals in Ohio, according to the First District Court of Appeals. She was selected as the 2024 Judge of the Year by the National Hispanic Bar Association.

Asked about her accomplishments, Zayas said in our questionnaire, "For nearly a decade, I have performed the same fundamental appellate work as the Ohio Supreme Court, deciding more than 2,000 appeals." She said the Chief Justice, who is from a different political party, "selected me three times within 40 days to sit by special assignment on the Ohio Supreme Court to replace a recused justice" in 2025.

Before joining the bench, Zayas said she worked as an IT manager at Procter & Gamble, then "used my savings to attend law school, then built a legal career focused on serving people and solving problems." She also worked as an attorney at the Hamilton County Public Defender's Office and as an intellectual property litigator at Holland & Hart, according to the First District Court of Appeals.

On the issues

Judicial endorsements: Asked about the Ohio Supreme Court's ruling that judges may make political endorsements, Zayas said, "I disagree with the decision because judicial independence is not only about being impartial; it is also about maintaining public confidence in that impartiality." She added, "I will never endorse a political candidate. I believe judges should leave politics at the courthouse door."

Precedent: Asked when the Ohio Supreme Court should overrule its earlier decisions, Zayas said, "Stability in the law is essential. Precedent should carry substantial weight because people, courts, businesses and government rely on established law when making decisions." She said the court "should overrule its prior decisions only when there is a compelling reason to do so."

Party labels on ballots: Zayas said, "I believe that both party endorsements and partisan ballot labels politicize the judiciary and undermine public confidence in independent courts." She also highlighted her Educating Tomorrow's Leaders program, saying, "We have reached and inspired more than 2,000 students across Ohio."

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." She noted that while her opponent "authored only a single separate opinion," she "wrote nine separate opinions to articulate why the majority's rationale departed from the law."