Judge Marilyn Zayas, Candidate for Ohio State Supreme Court Justice
By: Crystal G

     Judge Marilyn Zayas’s many accomplishments, both professionally and personally, establish her as an outstanding candidate for Ohio State Supreme Court Justice.  After earning a computer science degree, she left this behind to pursue a challenging career in law. She built her own law firm here in Ohio and fought for the most vulnerable. In 2016, she was elected to the First District Court of Appeals of Ohio, serving as Ohio’s only Latina judge on any district court of appeals statewide.  Her reputation for fairness opened invitations to sit on different district courts of appeals throughout the state, as well as being hand selected to sit on the Supreme Court of the State of Ohio for a recused judge. Her commitment to faithfully apply the law has been clear in the way she conducts herself in and outside the courtroom. 

   After being elected, Judge Zayas created the “Educating Tomorrow’s Leaders” program, which reaches out to high school students and invites them to learn more about the law. She was also featured on Good Morning America for her contributions to her community. In 2021, she was a City of Cincinnati City Council Women’s History Month honoree, and in 2022, a Women’s Issues Network guest speaker, along with Judge Terri Jamison and Ohio State Supreme Court Justice Jennifer Brunner, for the WIN’s Women’s History Month Dinner. 

   In running to be an Ohio Supreme Court Justice, Judge Zayas will be facing Pat DeWine, a current justice on the court and son of current Governor Mike DeWine. Justice DeWine refused to recuse himself from cases that involved his father until enough outrage built that might impact his current race. On this year’s ballot, you will see party affiliation next to each judicial candidate.  Know that Judge Zayas is focused on fairness, not political parties. Integrity is needed on the bench, not political pawns. This year not only vote for Judge Zayas, but share her story and plant seeds of change and accountability.