Person
Marilyn Zayas
- Work
- IT manager, Procter & Gamble, 1988-1994
Sources: Marilyn Zayas · Judge Marilyn Zayas: Appellate Judge Biography
- Work
- Attorney at Holland & Hart and the Hamilton County Public Defender's Office; founded her own immigration law practice
Sources: Judge Marilyn Zayas: Appellate Judge Biography · Marilyn Zayas
- Public service
- Three-year term on the Ohio Supreme Court's Board of Character and Fitness
- Public service
- Sat by assignment on the Supreme Court of Ohio in 2018 and 2025 and on four other district courts of appeals
- Education
- Bachelor of Science in computer science, City College of New York, 1987
Sources: Marilyn Zayas · Marilyn Zayas
- Education
- Law degree, University of Cincinnati College of Law, 1997
Sources: Marilyn Zayas · Marilyn Zayas
- Civic
- Adjunct professor, University of Cincinnati College of Law
Campaign website · First District Court of Appeals biography · Ballotpedia · Wikipedia · Ohio campaign finance search
- $295KRaised, as filed · September 3, 2026
- $372KCash on hand · September 3, 2026
- no poll on fileLatest poll
- 7Positions in their words · 7 issues
- none on fileClaims checked
- 1Offices held · Judge, Ohio First District Court of Appeals, since 2016
8 of 11 sections researched
Not yet researched: What they have said, checked, Financial interests, Polling and approval.
What has been checked
- Profile 13 entries County of residence is left blank for all four candidates in this race: no official residence record was checked, and campaign statements of residence are listed under background. Checked: the candidate's court biography page where one exists; Ballotpedia; Wikipedia where a page exists; the campaign website
- On the ballot 1 entry
- Where they stand 7 entries Rule 4.1(A)(6) of Ohio's Code of Judicial Conduct bars judicial candidates from making pledges, promises or commitments about cases, controversies or issues likely to come before the court. Checked: the candidate's campaign website (every page linked from its menu); Ballotpedia's 2026 Candidate Connection survey (not completed by any of the four candidates as of 2026-09-21); VOTE411 (League of Women Voters of Ohio Education Fund); its pages render in the browser and returned no retrievable text to a script; Ohio Capital Journal reporting on the race, January to September 2026; Statehouse News Bureau reporting on the race, 2026; a web search for 2025-2026 interviews and statements by the candidate
- What they have said, checked None found in the records checked PolitiFact and FactCheck.org searched 2026-09-25: none found Checked: Research lane claims-2026, 2026-09-25
- Record in office 9 entries Rule: every Supreme Court of Ohio decision story on Court News Ohio's Cases index for 2026 (80 stories dated January 13 to September 18, 2026, fetched September 21, 2026) in which the candidate wrote the Court's majority or lead opinion. Dissents and concurrences are not listed. She sits on the First District Court of Appeals; none of the 80 stories names her, and Court News Ohio posted no 2026 appeals court decision stories. Her 2025 sittings on the Supreme Court by assignment fall before the window. Checked: Court News Ohio's Cases index for 2026 and all 80 Supreme Court decision stories it links; the Supreme Court of Ohio's biography page or the candidate's current court's biography page
- Money 1 entry Calendar-2026 totals from the Secretary of State's candidate cover pages, through the August monthly report filed September 3, 2026.
- Financial interests None found in the records checked No financial disclosure statement for this candidate was found published online or reported in the news. Checked: the Board of Professional Conduct of the Supreme Court of Ohio, where judges and judicial candidates file financial disclosure statements; the statements are not published online; a web search for news reports of the candidate's financial disclosure statements, 2025-2026
- Polling and approval None found in the records checked Searched for a published general-election poll of the 2026 Ohio Supreme Court seat held by Dan Hawkins, contested by Marilyn Zayas (race 2026-supreme-court-jan-1-2027). Checked: Emerson College Polling (emersoncollegepolling.com) -- searched site and web for 2026 Ohio releases; Bowling Green State University / YouGov (scholarworks.bgsu.edu DePo Polls) -- checked the April, August and September 2026 Ohio releases; Quantus Insights (quantusinsights.org) -- checked its March 2026 and August 2026 Ohio releases; Civiqs (civiqs.com) -- general web search, no Ohio 2026 release found for this office; Baldwin Wallace University Community Research Institute -- general web search, no 2026 Ohio release found; Ohio Northern University -- general web search, no 2026 Ohio poll found; Data for Progress -- general web search, no 2026 Ohio release found for this office; Public Policy Polling (publicpolicypolling.com) -- checked its Ohio page; The Trafalgar Group (thetrafalgargroup.org) -- checked its September 2026 Ohio Midterm Statewide Survey and its Ohio-tagged poll pages; that release covers only the U.S. Senate race; Ohio press: Cleveland.com, The Columbus Dispatch, Ohio Capital Journal, Signal Ohio, the Ohio Statehouse News Bureau/WOSU -- general web search for a published poll of this race. No poll of this race, by any pollster or outlet, was found. Checked: Research lane polls, 2026-09-23
- Elections 2 entries Only the 2026 race is listed. Her 2016, 2018 and 2024 First District Court of Appeals races and her 2022 Supreme Court race wait on race records this site does not yet hold.
- Endorsements 8 entries No bar association rating or newspaper endorsement for the 2026 race was found as of September 21, 2026; organization and party endorsements were not recorded in this pass. Checked: Judge4Yourself.com ratings (May 5, 2026 primary; no Supreme Court race rated); the Ohio State Bar Association's candidate ratings (most recent Supreme Court ratings linked by Judicial Votes Count are from 2016); Judicial Votes Count, Ray C. Bliss Institute, University of Akron; a web search for 2026 newspaper editorial endorsements in this race
- Sources 15 entries
The numbers behind this figure, as a table
| Section | State |
|---|---|
| profile | researched |
| ballot | researched |
| positions | researched |
| claims | none found |
| record | researched |
| money | researched |
| interests | none found |
| polling | none found |
| elections | researched |
| endorsements | researched |
| sources | researched |
The numbers behind this figure, as a table
| Chamber | District | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Statewide | All of Ohio | Justice of the Supreme Court (Full term commencing 1-1-2027) |
On the ballot
- Justice of the Supreme Court (Full term commencing 1-1-2027) · November 3, 2026 · Democratic
Sources: Official General Election Ballot, November 3, 2026 (sample ballot issued with Directive 2026-45) · Marilyn Zayas
The numbers behind this figure, as a table
| Date | Deadline | Time | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| September 18, 2026 | Military and overseas absentee voting begins | The start of absentee voting for military and overseas (UOCAVA) voters. | |
| October 5, 2026 | Voter registration deadline | 9 p.m. | Boards of elections and the Ohio Secretary of State's office are open until 9 p.m. to accept registrations. |
| October 6, 2026 | Absentee voting by mail and early in-person voting begin | Early in-person voting runs 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. from October 6 through October 9; hours change on later dates through Election Day. | |
| October 22, 2026 | Pre-general campaign finance reports due | 4 p.m. | Certain candidates, political action committees, caucus committees and political parties file by 4 p.m. reports covering contributions and expenditures through October 14, 2026. |
| October 27, 2026 | Deadline for boards to receive absentee ballot applications | 8:30 p.m. | Applications for an absentee ballot must reach the county board by this time. |
| November 1, 2026 | Last day of early in-person voting | 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. | Early in-person voting at county boards of elections ends on Sunday, November 1; the hours that day are 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. in the table above. By October 29, nearly 1.3 million Ohioans had already voted early in person or returned absentee ballots (Journal-News; Signal Ohio's counts from the Secretary of State's daily absentee file add to 1,289,090). The 2022 midterm saw 1.47 million early votes, then a record. |
| November 2, 2026 | No early in-person voting at boards of elections | Early in-person voting at county boards of elections ended Sunday, November 1; there is no voting at boards of elections on Monday, November 2. Voters cast ballots at their assigned polling places on Tuesday, November 3. | |
| November 3, 2026 | Deadline for non-military/overseas absentee ballots to be received | 7:30 p.m. | Absentee ballots not covered by UOCAVA must be received by this time on Election Day. |
| November 3, 2026 | Last-minute absentee request for a hospitalization emergency | 3 p.m. | A voter, or a voter's minor child, who is hospitalized because of an accident or medical emergency may apply for an absentee ballot until 3 p.m. on Election Day. |
| November 3, 2026 | Polls open | 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. | Election Day voting hours statewide. |
| November 7, 2026 | Deadline for military and overseas (UOCAVA) absentee ballots to be received | The extended receipt deadline for UOCAVA absentee ballots. | |
| November 8, 2026 | Boards of elections may begin the official canvass | County boards may begin the official canvass of the November 3 General Election ballots (5 days after the election). | |
| November 18, 2026 | Deadline for boards to begin the official canvass | County boards must begin the official canvass of November 3 General Election ballots no later than this date (15 days after the election). | |
| November 24, 2026 | Deadline for boards to complete the official canvass | County boards must complete the canvass of November 3 General Election ballots no later than this date (21 days after the election). | |
| December 11, 2026 | Post-general campaign finance reports due | 4 p.m. | Certain candidates, political action committees, caucus committees and political parties file by 4 p.m. reports covering contributions and expenditures through December 4, 2026. |
Where they stand
Court precedent
One of the concerns that I have and many of the attorneys I've met with is in the time that I've been on the bench, which is nearly 10 years, there has been more than one time that our Ohio Supreme Court has reversed itself, changing the outcome of a case that they decided.
Source: tribtoday.com
Judges and political endorsements
How is it that they recently decided that judges can now endorse politicians when that issue wasn't even in front of them?
Source: tribtoday.com
Judicial philosophy
I pledge to bring common sense, leave politics at the door, ensure fair access, and rule based solely on the law and facts.
Source: judgemarilynzayas.com
Party labels on judicial ballots
It's not red or blue. I keep saying courts aren't red or blue, they're about you. They're about us.
Source: tribtoday.com
Politics and the courts
People truly want independence. They are tired of politics, particularly in the courts. They want to believe they have a fair chance. That's why I'm running for the Supreme Court.
Source: tribtoday.com
Unequal resources and access to the courts
The greatest obstacle to justice is unequal resources: wealth provides advantages that hard-working Americans often lack. This can affect cases from the outset.
Source: Election 2026: Voter Guide for Akron and Summit County
Why they are running
Now is the time to stand up for Ohio. We need accountability, not party politics.
Source: judgemarilynzayas.com
What they have said, checked
None found in the records checked
Record in office
The numbers behind this figure, as a table
| Person | Date | Kind | Entry |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zayas (D) | 2016 | office | Judge, Ohio First District Court of Appeals |
| Zayas (D) | 2018-06-12 | appointment | 2018-06-12 (appointment): Assigned by Chief Justice Maureen O'Connor to sit temporarily on the Supreme Court of Ohio in place of a recused justice, and heard oral arg |
| Zayas (D) | 2019-08-28 | ruling | 2019-08-28 (ruling): Wrote the First District Court of Appeals' opinion in In re R.B., 2019-Ohio-3469, which affirmed a Hamilton County Juvenile Court judgment t |
| Zayas (D) | 2019-08-30 | ruling | 2019-08-30 (ruling): Wrote the First District Court of Appeals' opinion in State v. Clarence Ham, case No. C-180338, which affirmed a Hamilton County Municipal C |
| Zayas (D) | 2020-07 | ruling | 2020-07 (ruling): Wrote the First District Court of Appeals' opinion in In re M.R., K.R., J.R., K.R. and B.H., case No. C-190547, which reversed in part and r |
| Zayas (D) | 2021-02-03 | ruling | 2021-02-03 (ruling): Wrote the First District Court of Appeals' opinion in State v. Patton, 2021-Ohio-295, which affirmed a Hamilton County jury's convictions of |
| Zayas (D) | 2021-02-04 | ruling | 2021-02-04 (ruling): Wrote the First District Court of Appeals' opinion in State v. Cameron Smith, case No. C-190419, which reversed a telecommunications-harassm |
| Zayas (D) | 2022-03-30 | ruling | 2022-03-30 (ruling): Wrote the First District Court of Appeals' opinion in Brinkman v. Cincinnati, case No. C-210353, which held that Cincinnati's charter author |
| Zayas (D) | 2023-03-24 | ruling | 2023-03-24 (ruling): Wrote the First District Court of Appeals' opinion in State v. Childers, case No. C-220301, which affirmed a conviction after holding that a |
| Zayas (D) | 2025-04-29 | appointment | 2025-04-29 (appointment): Assigned by Chief Justice Sharon L. Kennedy to sit temporarily on the Supreme Court of Ohio for the third time in 40 days, and heard In re D |
-
appointment April 29, 2025
Assigned by Chief Justice Sharon L. Kennedy to sit temporarily on the Supreme Court of Ohio for the third time in 40 days, and heard In re Dayton Power and Light Co.
Source: courtnewsohio.gov
-
ruling March 24, 2023
Wrote the First District Court of Appeals' opinion in State v. Childers, case No. C-220301, which affirmed a conviction after holding that an officer's observation of a lane change made without signaling justified the traffic stop.
-
ruling March 30, 2022
Wrote the First District Court of Appeals' opinion in Brinkman v. Cincinnati, case No. C-210353, which held that Cincinnati's charter authorized the city solicitor to file a civil action on the city's behalf without prior city council authorization, and reversed a trial-court injunction against the lawsuit.
-
ruling February 4, 2021
Wrote the First District Court of Appeals' opinion in State v. Cameron Smith, case No. C-190419, which reversed a telecommunications-harassment conviction for insufficient evidence and discharged the defendant.
-
ruling February 3, 2021
Wrote the First District Court of Appeals' opinion in State v. Patton, 2021-Ohio-295, which affirmed a Hamilton County jury's convictions of a man for two counts of murder on a complicity theory.
Source: supremecourt.ohio.gov
-
ruling July 2020
Wrote the First District Court of Appeals' opinion in In re M.R., K.R., J.R., K.R. and B.H., case No. C-190547, which reversed in part and remanded a Hamilton County Juvenile Court judgment that had adjudicated five children dependent, following a domestic-violence incident, and placed three with their fathers and two in the temporary custody of the county's children-services agency.
-
ruling August 30, 2019
Wrote the First District Court of Appeals' opinion in State v. Clarence Ham, case No. C-180338, which affirmed a Hamilton County Municipal Court conviction for telecommunications harassment.
-
ruling August 28, 2019
Wrote the First District Court of Appeals' opinion in In re R.B., 2019-Ohio-3469, which affirmed a Hamilton County Juvenile Court judgment terminating a mother's parental rights and granting permanent custody of four children to Hamilton County Job and Family Services.
Source: supremecourt.ohio.gov
-
appointment June 12, 2018
Assigned by Chief Justice Maureen O'Connor to sit temporarily on the Supreme Court of Ohio in place of a recused justice, and heard oral argument in State v. Vega.
Source: courtnewsohio.gov
Money
The numbers behind this figure, as a table
| From | To | Dollars | Share of total | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Raised | Spent | 34,788.16 | 8.3% | |
| Other funds (derived) | Spent | 14,956.54 | 3.5% | |
| Raised | Cash on hand | 259,971.92 | 61.7% | |
| Other funds (derived) | Cash on hand | 111,770.17 | 26.5% |
The numbers behind this figure, as a table
| Status |
|---|
| None found in the records checked |
Totals as filed
| Race | Filer | Raised | Spent | Cash on hand | As of |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Justice of the Supreme Court (Full term commencing 1-1-2027) | OhioSOS Community for Judge Marilyn Zayas | $294,760 | $49,745 | $371,742 | September 3, 2026 |
Ohio campaigns were due to file pre-general reports on October 22, covering activity through October 14, 2026. They are not in these figures, which come from the latest report in our records, dated September 3, 2026.
Sources: data.ohiosos.gov · www6.ohiosos.gov · ohiosos.gov
Outside spending
Financial interests
None found in the records checked
Polling and approval
The numbers behind this figure, as a table
| Status |
|---|
| None found in the records checked |
Elections
| Race | Party | Result | Votes | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Justice of the Supreme Court (Full term commencing 1-1-2027) (2026) | Democratic | Pending | 671,293 | 100.0% |
| Justice of the Supreme Court (Full term commencing 1-2-2023) (2022) | Democratic | Lost | 1,789,384 | 43.7% |
Offices held
Judge, Ohio First District Court of Appeals · 2016 to present · elected
Sources: Judge Marilyn Zayas: Appellate Judge Biography · Marilyn Zayas · Marilyn Zayas
Endorsements
Endorsements received
organizationAbortion Forward
October 1, 2026
Listed on Abortion Forward's 2026 endorsements page as "recommended" (the word it uses for the attorney general and judicial races).
Sources: 2026 Abortion Forward endorsements · Abortion Forward releases slate of candidates who respect will of voters
organizationOhio Women’s Alliance Action Fund
September 2026
Source: Week in review: Sept. 27, 2026
organizationOhio Citizen Action
August 4, 2026
Source: 2026 Election Endorsements
organizationPlanned Parenthood Advocates of Ohio
July 2026
Source: Week in review: July 26, 2026
partyOhio Democratic Party
March 10, 2026
The party’s executive committee endorsed her at a virtual meeting on March 10, 2026.
Sources: Ohio Democratic Party endorses more candidates ahead of primary · Week in review: March 15, 2026
organizationEMILY's List
March 5, 2026
Announced with a slate of Ohio Democratic women candidates on March 5, 2026.
Source: emilyslist.org
unionOhio Federation of Teachers
2026
Listed on the union's 2026 election endorsement page, which gives no date.
Source: Ohio Federation of Teachers 2026 election endorsements
unionOhio AFL-CIO
2026
Sources
Data from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0: Marilyn Zayas · 2022 Ohio elections · 2022 Ohio gubernatorial election
Every URL on this page, once each.
- Ohio elections, 2026 · Ballotpedia · accessed 2026-09-19 · CC BY-SA 3.0 or later, per Ballotpedia's terms
- Judge Marilyn Zayas: Appellate Judge Biography · The First District Court of Appeals · accessed 2026-09-21
- Marilyn Zayas · Ballotpedia · accessed 2026-09-21 · CC BY-SA 3.0 or later, per Ballotpedia's terms
- Marilyn Zayas · Wikipedia · accessed 2026-09-21
- Meet Judge Zayas · Community for Judge Marilyn Zayas · accessed 2026-09-21
- Ohio high court hopeful running for judicial independence · Tribune Chronicle · 2026-07-15 · accessed 2026-09-21
- Official General Election Ballot, November 3, 2026 (sample ballot issued with Directive 2026-45) · Ohio Secretary of State · 2026-08-20 · accessed 2026-09-21
- Ohio Supreme Court elections, 2026 · Ballotpedia · accessed 2026-09-21 · CC BY-SA 3.0 or later, per Ballotpedia's terms
- Court News Ohio: Cases · Court News Ohio · accessed 2026-09-21
- Ohio Code of Judicial Conduct · Supreme Court of Ohio · accessed 2026-09-21
- https://data.ohiosos.gov/portal/campaign-finance · accessed 2026-09-21
- https://www6.ohiosos.gov/ords/f?p=CFDISCLOSURE:4:::NO:RP,4:: · accessed 2026-09-21
- https://www.ohiosos.gov/elections/campaign-finance · accessed 2026-09-21
- https://judgemarilynzayas.com/ · accessed 2026-09-21
- https://www.ohiosos.gov/campaign-finance/search/ · accessed 2026-09-21
- 2022 Ohio elections · Wikipedia · accessed 2026-09-24
- 2022 Ohio gubernatorial election · Wikipedia · accessed 2026-09-24
- LaRose Certifies Results for the November 2022 General Election · Ohio Secretary of State · 2022-12-09
- https://emilyslist.org/news/emilys-list-expands-ohio-electoral-push-with-endorsements-of-knickerbocker-brunner-zayas-and-russo/
- Ohio Democratic Party endorses more candidates ahead of primary · WYSO (Statehouse News Bureau) · 2026-03-11 · accessed 2026-10-05
- Week in review: March 15, 2026 · Ohio Society of CPAs · 2026-03-13 · accessed 2026-10-05
- 2026 Ohio AFL-CIO General Election Endorsements · Ohio AFL-CIO · accessed 2026-10-05
- 2026 Election Endorsements · Ohio Citizen Action · 2026-08-04 · accessed 2026-10-05
- Week in review: July 26, 2026 · Ohio Society of CPAs · 2026-07-24 · accessed 2026-10-05
- Week in review: Sept. 27, 2026 · Ohio Society of CPAs · 2026-09-25 · accessed 2026-10-05
- Ohio Federation of Teachers 2026 election endorsements · Ohio Federation of Teachers · accessed 2026-10-20
- 2026 Abortion Forward endorsements · Abortion Forward · 2026-10-01 · accessed 2026-10-22
- Abortion Forward releases slate of candidates who respect will of voters · Abortion Forward · 2026-10-01 · accessed 2026-10-22
- Election 2026: Voter Guide for Akron and Summit County · Signal Akron · 2026-09-28 · accessed 2026-10-05
- https://www.courtnewsohio.gov/bench/2018/VJZayas_061218.asp
- https://www.supremecourt.ohio.gov/rod/docs/pdf/1/2019/2019-Ohio-3469.pdf
- https://lawlibrary.hamiltoncountyohio.gov/friday-first-district-roundup-8-30-19/
- https://lawlibrary.hamiltoncountyohio.gov/friday-first-district-roundup-7-10-20/
- https://www.supremecourt.ohio.gov/rod/docs/pdf/1/2021/2021-Ohio-295.pdf
- https://lawlibrary.hamiltoncountyohio.gov/friday-first-district-roundup-2-4-21/
- https://lawlibrary.hamiltoncountyohio.gov/friday-first-district-roundup-5/
- https://lawlibrary.hamiltoncountyohio.gov/first-district-friday-roundup-3-24/
- https://www.courtnewsohio.gov/bench/2025/AJZayas_042925.asp
Cite and data
Cite this page as:
Cracked Buckeye, "Marilyn Zayas", https://crackedbuckeye.com/people/marilyn-zayas/, built 2026-11-04, accessed [date].
How to cite · Report a correction · Built 2026-11-04