Justice of the Supreme Court

Jennifer Brunner

Full term commencing 1/2/2027; vote for 1; 6-year term. Judicial candidates run without party labels on the general ballot but are nominated in partisan primaries; parties below are the nominating party per the BOE list.

Party: Democrat · Incumbent

Background

Ohio Supreme Court justice since January 2021. The court biography lists prior service on the Tenth District Court of Appeals and Franklin County Common Pleas Court, where she founded the adult felony drug court, and as Ohio Secretary of State. Supreme Court of Ohio: Justice Jennifer Brunner biography Evidence type: official record · The Supreme Court biography lists Brunner’s judicial and Secretary of State service.

Campaign statements and positions

• Her campaign describes justice as fairness, equality, and respect for all people. Justice Jennifer Brunner campaign Evidence type: candidate statement · The campaign states this value and approach.

Voting record

• State v. Lash, 2026-Ohio-2746: dissented from the majority’s conclusion that citing a statutory reason sufficiently explained denial of a postconviction DNA-testing application; Brunner argued the order should explain its application of the statutory criteria. Supreme Court of Ohio: State v. Lash, 2026-Ohio-2746 Evidence type: official record · The opinion identifies Brunner’s dissent and explains the disagreement about the trial court’s reasons for denying DNA testing.
• Wilkes v. Ohio Dept. of Transp., 2026-Ohio-3897: dissented from the Court’s decision granting ODOT discretionary immunity for not installing temporary protective fencing during bridge reconstruction. Supreme Court of Ohio: Wilkes v. Ohio Dept. of Transp., 2026-Ohio-3897 Evidence type: official record · The opinion identifies Brunner’s dissent and the majority’s immunity ruling.

Promise and record

These selected opinions show areas where Brunner disagreed with the majority. They are not a complete record or a measure of how she would decide future cases. Supreme Court of Ohio: State v. Lash, 2026-Ohio-2746 · Supreme Court of Ohio: Wilkes v. Ohio Dept. of Transp., 2026-Ohio-3897 Evidence type: editorial summary · This guide describes two selected dissents without using them as a proxy for a full judicial record.

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