T-L Photos/ROBERT A. DEFRANK 10th District Court of Appeals Judge Terri Jamison, candidate for Ohio Supreme Court, from left, Justice Jennifer Brunner, candidate for Chief Justice and First District Court of Appeals Judge Marilyn Zayas, candidate for Ohio Supreme Court, meet and speak with Belmont County Democrats Wednesday during a campaign stop in Belmont County.

ST. CLAIRSVILLE — Belmont County Democrats welcomed Jennifer Brunner, Ohio Supreme Court Justice and candidate for Chief Justice, when she arrived at the St. Clairsville J.B. Martin Recreation Center Wednesday afternoon, joined by Judge Terri Jamison of the 10th District Court of Appeals and First District Court of Appeals Judge Marilyn Zayas, candidates for Ohio Supreme Court.

Brunner said they are visiting counties across Ohio for their “Ohio Justice Tour.”

Brunner said this will be the first election where a judge’s party affiliations will be seen on the ballots.

She said judges are pledged to be non-partisan and current Chief Justice Maureen O’Connor has been a “swing” vote in several issues, as well as advising Brunner to run for the seat.

They spoke about their respective upbringings and the journeys that would take them into the field of law and the judge’s bench. Brunner said they brought a wide range of different experiences to the job and would understand both the applications of law and how the laws impacted the people involved.

Brunner related her experiences at different levels of law, as a practicing attorney and a judge at trial court, the court of appeals and the Supreme Court, as well as serving as Ohio Secretary of State. She also mentioned her rule-of-law work in developing democracies overseas.

She said plans include collecting sentencing data from across the state and comparing differences in sentencing between people who have committed the same crime.

“We have to be willing and brave enough to ask the hard questions. Why is this happening? Is this because of race or education or poverty or gender or some other issue? And then it will be up to a chief who will be fearless to say to the judges of this state: ‘OK, we have to do better,'” she said, adding education and mandatory bias training could be provided for the legal community.

She said other possibilities include providing encouragement to economically-disadvantaged law graduates, as well as encouraging diverse judges “so that our judiciary reflects more accurately who we are as Ohioans.”

Jamison spoke about her background in coal mines before going to law school in her 40s. She has been endorsed by the United Mine Workers of America. She spoke about her work in Franklin County’s Domestic Relations and Juvenile Court, finding programs, education and employment opportunities for families.

“I’m running for the Supreme Court because I believe our democracy matters,” she said. “You need to have an independent, co-equal third branch of government that’s putting check and balance on legislative and executive power. … I think I bring a lot of experience from labor all the way up to being a judge.”

Zayas, originally from New York, has lived and worked in Ohio for 34 years.

“I knew I wanted to be one of those attorneys that was standing next to folks in their most difficult times,” she said. “That was what put me on the path to really live my truth.”

Zayas said she has worked in a public defenders’ office, then in private practice where she worked with foreign investors and companies and families of foreign-born people, as well as those seeking asylum and refugee status.

She said she learned the difference between a judge following policy and procedure and one who had an outcome in mind and was bending the law to fit.

“I’m running to take politics out of the court,” she said. She criticized her opponent, incumbent Justice Pat DeWine, for not recusing himself from deciding on redistricting when his father, Gov. Mike DeWine, was on the Ohio Redistricting Commission.

The issue of redistricting was foremost among the candidates. The question of redistricting has been fiercely contested, with multiple maps being ruled unconstitutional until a federal court ruled the current district map would be used for this year. The process will continue and a new map will be decided following the midterm Election Day Nov. 8.

“So we start back in the process, assuming something is brought to us,” Brunner said.

Jamison said they would review challenges to the maps.

Michael Shaheen, area attorney and longtime friend of Brunner, commended the candidates.

“I can’t recall a time that we ever had a slate of candidates with such credentials and such life experience, with such appropriate approaches to what your job is,” he said. “I’m so moved by you guys’ stories and I’m so moved by Jennifer’s good works so far.”

Frank Papini, co-chairman of the party and member of the United SteelWorkers of America, commended Jamison’s decisions about 25 years ago when Papini came before her as a Workers Compensation representative.