Colleen T. O'Donnell, a Republican and Franklin County Common Pleas Court judge, is running for Ohio Supreme Court Justice in the Nov. 3, 2026, general election. She faces Democratic candidate Jennifer Brunner for the Term Commencing 1/2 seat.
O'Donnell describes herself as a constitutional conservative running to uphold the rule of law, protect public safety and preserve a conservative majority on the Ohio Supreme Court, according to her campaign website.
Candidate information
- Name: Colleen T. O'Donnell
- Party: Republican
- Office sought: Ohio Supreme Court Justice (Term Commencing 1/2)
- Election date: Nov. 3, 2026
- Ballot status: Certified for the ballot
- Education: Bachelor's degree in political science, Miami University (2003); J.D., Case Western Reserve University (2006)
- Family note: O'Donnell says she is the daughter of retired Ohio Supreme Court Justice Terrence O'Donnell, according to her campaign website.
Experience and public service
O'Donnell has held a series of legal positions in Ohio and at the federal level, according to public voter guide and election records.
She served as an assistant attorney general at the Ohio Attorney General's Office in 2006–2007. She then worked as a law clerk in the Northern District of Ohio in 2007. O'Donnell practiced as a lawyer at Carpenter Lipps & Leland LLP from 2007 to 2013, according to federal court records compiled by Border Crossing Law Firm.
Election records list O'Donnell as a Franklin County Common Pleas Court judge beginning in 2013. She also held a position as an attorney in the Office of the Federal Energy Advocate at the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio in 2023 and was appointed as a U.S. immigration judge at the Laredo, Texas, Immigration Court under the U.S. Department of Justice beginning in August 2023. Available records do not clarify whether O'Donnell left the Common Pleas bench for these 2023 positions.
On the issues
O'Donnell has not returned the Anderson-Mariemont Journal's candidate questionnaire. No additional policy positions or issue responses beyond her stated judicial philosophy were available at the time of publication. Voters can find more information on her campaign website.
Endorsements
O'Donnell has received endorsements from law enforcement groups, county Republican parties and advocacy organizations, according to voter guide and election data:
- Cleveland Police Patrolmen's Association
- Butler County Sheriff Richard K. Jones
- Madison County Republican Party
- Lake County Republican Party
- Franklin County Republican Party
- Ohio Value Voters
- Ohio Right to Life PAC
Hamilton County voters will see this race on the Nov. 3 ballot.
