Emma Mirles-Jones, a public defender and attorney based in Delaware County, is running for Common Pleas Court Judge in the General Division. The nonpartisan seat appears on the Nov. 3, 2026, general election ballot.
Mirles-Jones said she entered the race after a General Division judge resigned, creating a vacancy. She said she encouraged colleagues to run before deciding she was "particularly well-qualified for the position given that I have practiced in both Civil and Criminal Divisions as a public defender, plus worked as a mediator."
Candidate information
- Office sought: Delaware County Common Pleas Court Judge, General Division
- Party: Registered Democrat; the judicial seat is nonpartisan under Ohio law
- Education: Bachelor of Arts in Hispanic Studies and Russian Area Studies (dual major), Brown University; Juris Doctor, Case Western Reserve University School of Law; Master of Business Administration in Banking & Finance and Entrepreneurship (dual major), Weatherhead School of Management at Case Western Reserve University
- Endorsement: Delaware County Democratic Party
- Previous elected or appointed office: None
Experience and public service
Mirles-Jones has practiced law for 16 years, according to her campaign website. She has served as a public defender in Franklin, Delaware and Morrow counties since 2009. She also works as a guardian ad litem in those counties, representing the interests of children in abuse, neglect and dependency cases.
She opened her practice in 2009. She is a Supreme Court of Ohio qualified mediator, and her practice areas include criminal defense, domestic relations, tax defense, foreclosure defense, landlord-tenant disputes and voting rights advocacy.
Before law, Mirles-Jones worked as a commercial real estate portfolio manager and associate at Fifth Third Bank from 2005 to 2006 and as a legal analyst at Fairfield Residential from 2007 to 2008. She said she has more than 30 years of business experience overall.
She grew up in Youngstown and said she has been working and volunteering in Delaware County since 2012.
On the issues
Managing the court's growing caseload: Mirles-Jones said the court needs "a stable judge who can hit the ground running to help clear up the backlog." She said she would use her negotiation, mediation and problem-solving experience to move cases along. She expressed support for drug courts, mental health courts and veterans courts, saying they have strong track records of reducing recidivism.
Preparation for felony and civil cases: Mirles-Jones said her public defender work has given her experience in juvenile, municipal and Common Pleas felony courts, plus appellate experience. She is Ohio Public Defender qualified for cases up to Felony 3 in both delinquency and adult criminal matters. She acknowledged she has never worked a homicide case but said she served as guardian ad litem on attempted murder and rape cases. She said her business background prepares her for complex civil litigation.
Ensuring neutrality and access to justice: Mirles-Jones said her 16 years as a guardian ad litem taught her to present all sides of a case to the court. She said she maintains lists of free legal clinics and resources that she distributes to unrepresented parties and has created guides for routine legal tasks to help people without lawyers navigate the system.
Key differences from opponent: Mirles-Jones said her opponent spent 16 years as an estate planner, a function of Probate Court rather than the General Division. She said she is ready to start immediately while her opponent would need on-the-job training in civil and criminal law. Her opponent's response to these characterizations was not available for this profile.
The general election is Nov. 3, 2026.
