Leah Dinkelacker is running to keep the Hamilton County Common Pleas Court seat she was appointed to in March 2025.

Dinkelacker faces Manisha Kotian in the nonpartisan race for Hamilton County Common Pleas Court Judge, General Division, on Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026. The winner will serve a full term on the bench beginning in January.

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. Dinkelacker had worked in the Hamilton County legal system for more than a decade before the appointment.

Candidate information

  • Residence: Green Township
  • Family: Husband and three children
  • Hometown: West Side of Cincinnati
  • High school: Mother of Mercy High School
  • College: Bachelor's degree, Miami University
  • Law school: Juris doctor, Northern Kentucky University Salmon P. Chase College of Law, 2011

Biographical details are according to Dinkelacker's campaign website and the Cincinnati Enquirer.

Experience and public service

Before her appointment to the bench, Dinkelacker worked at the Hamilton County Prosecutor's Office for more than a decade. She said on her campaign website that she served as an assistant prosecuting attorney from 2012 to 2025 and rose to assistant chief of the Juvenile Division.

Earlier in her career, she worked as a constable at the Hamilton County Court of Common Pleas from 2009 to 2012, according to the Cincinnati Enquirer. She began that role after graduating from Mother of Mercy High School and while pursuing her law degree.

Dinkelacker said on her campaign website that she is a member of the Ohio Supreme Court Commission for Professionalism.

On the issues

Public safety and law and order

Dinkelacker said on her campaign website that she prioritizes community safety and law and order. She said her role as a judge is to interpret and uphold the law. She described herself as dedicated, passionate and prepared.

Dinkelacker said she treats everyone in her courtroom with dignity and respect and that she believes in law and order.

No additional policy positions were provided.

This profile is based on Dinkelacker's campaign website responses and public records.