Leah Dinkelacker is running to keep her seat on the Hamilton County Court of Common Pleas, General Division, in the Nov. 3, 2026, general election.

Gov. Mike DeWine appointed Dinkelacker to the bench on March 11, 2025, to replace Megan E. Shanahan, who was elected to the Ohio Supreme Court, according to Ballotpedia. She faces one opponent. Manisha Kotian, also running as a nonpartisan candidate, is the other name on the ballot for the term commencing Jan. 14.

Dinkelacker's legal career in Hamilton County includes roles as a courtroom constable and a prosecutor before her appointment to the bench.

Candidate information

  • Residence: Green Township, Ohio
  • Education: Bachelor's degree, Miami University; juris doctor, Northern Kentucky University Salmon P. Chase College of Law (2011)
  • Family: Husband and three children

Dinkelacker was born and raised on the West Side of Cincinnati and attended Mother of Mercy High School, according to her campaign website.

Experience and public service

Before her appointment to the bench, Dinkelacker spent more than a decade at the Hamilton County Prosecutor's Office. She served as an assistant prosecuting attorney from 2012 to 2025, her campaign website says. During that time, she rose to the role of assistant chief of the Juvenile Division.

Earlier in her career, Dinkelacker worked as a constable at the Hamilton County Court of Common Pleas from 2009 to 2012, according to the Cincinnati Enquirer. She earned her law degree from Northern Kentucky University's Salmon P. Chase College of Law in 2011, the Enquirer reported, and moved into the prosecutor's office the following year.

She also serves as a member of the Ohio Supreme Court Commission for Professionalism, per her campaign site.

On the issues

Public safety and law and order

Dinkelacker said she prioritizes community safety and law and order. She described herself as dedicated, passionate and prepared, and said her role as judge is to interpret and uphold the law. She said she treats everyone in her courtroom with dignity and respect and that she believes in law and order.

No other issue responses were provided by the candidate.

The Nov. 3, 2026, general election ballot includes this Hamilton County Court of Common Pleas race. Candidate responses were gathered through a questionnaire process. Responses attributed to the candidate's campaign website reflect information the candidate chose to publish. The Anderson-Mariemont Journal did not interview the candidate for this profile.