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 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 also said she has "accepted zero corporate contributions from energy, banking or insurance interests because judicial independence matters."

Candidate information

Party: Democrat. Zayas said in our questionnaire, "Judicial office, however, requires independence from political parties. A judge's responsibility is not to a party, candidate or political interest. It is to the Constitution, the law and the facts."

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 in our questionnaire, "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 is a mother of three adult children, she said.

Endorsements: Delaware County Democrats, Ohio Democrats, AFL-CIO, Hamilton County Democratic Party, Licking County Democrats and Ohio Organizing Campaign, according to BallotReady.

Experience and public service

Zayas has served on the First District Court of Appeals since 2016. According to her biography on the court's website, she was the first person of Latino heritage elected to a Court of Appeals in Ohio and the first Latina elected to any position in Hamilton County.

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" in 2025 "to sit by special assignment on the Ohio Supreme Court to replace a recused justice."

Before her judicial career, Zayas said she "worked as an IT Manager at Procter & Gamble" and spent nearly 20 years as an attorney. She also founded the Educating Tomorrow's Leaders program after her 2016 election, according to the court's website. The Hispanic National Bar Association selected her as the 2024 Latina Judge of the Year.

On the issues

Judicial endorsements of political candidates: Zayas said in our questionnaire, "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 said, "I will never endorse a political candidate. I believe judges should leave politics at the courthouse door."

Precedent: Zayas said in our questionnaire, "The Supreme Court should overrule its prior decisions only when there is a compelling reason to do so. Changes in the law should be necessary, thoughtful, principled and clearly explained." She said, "Overruling precedent should be the exception, not the rule."

Party labels and specialized courts: Zayas said in our questionnaire, "I believe that both party endorsements and partisan ballot labels politicize the judiciary and undermine public confidence in independent courts." She said she strongly supports "the appropriate expansion of Veterans, Mental Health, and Drug Courts to foster safer communities."