Donte Johnson, a Hamilton County Municipal Court judge, is running for a seat on the Hamilton County Common Pleas Court, General Division, in the Nov. 3 general election. Katie Casch is also running. The race is nonpartisan.

Johnson and Casch are competing for the General Division term beginning Jan. 1, 2027, currently held by Judge Melba Marsh.

Asked why he is seeking the office in a Surround Sound News questionnaire, Johnson said: "I am seeking this office to bring vital representation and dedicated leadership to the Hamilton County Court of Common Pleas. Currently, there is only one Black man presiding on the Court. Diverse perspectives and professional background experiences matter deeply on a court that so directly affects the lives of our community."

Johnson said he also wants to honor the legacy of Judge Marsh, "who has been a mentor throughout my entire career" and "is the longest-serving Black judge in Hamilton County history."

Candidate information

Party affiliation: "Democratic Party"

Education: "University of Cincinnati, College of Law (JD); Howard University (BA)"

Family: "Married with children"

Endorsements: AFL-CIO and Hamilton County Democratic Party, according to BallotReady.

Honors: Johnson said he was featured in the 10th Anniversary Edition of Who's Who in Black Cincinnati and named to the Cincinnati Business Courier's 2024 40 Under 40 class.

Experience and public service

Johnson said in our questionnaire that he has served as a Hamilton County Municipal Court judge since 2021, where he presides "over misdemeanor criminal, traffic, and civil cases" and acts "as Duty Judge reviewing search warrants and conducting bond hearings for misdemeanor and felony offenses." He said he has "managed tens of thousands of cases and presided over hundreds of trials."

He described his earlier work as assistant general counsel at the Cincinnati Metropolitan Housing Authority from 2017 to 2020, where he said he "represented the agency in litigation, negotiated multi-million-dollar contracts, and collaborated on eviction-prevention initiatives that significantly reduced filings" and "secured $350,000+ in tenant assistance funding."

Johnson said he served as trial counsel at the Hamilton County Public Defender's Office from 2012 to 2017, "handling cases from minor misdemeanors to felony aggravated murder."

On the issues

Bond and sentencing decisions: Johnson said his public defender background shaped his judicial approach. "For bond decisions, my priority is public safety paired with procedural fairness," he said. "Unnecessary pretrial detention can cause non-violent individuals to lose housing and employment before trial. I rely on risk-based assessments, reserving high bonds for genuine public safety threats or flight risks, while utilizing structured supervision for non-violent cases."

On sentencing, Johnson said: "I distinguish between violent offenders requiring incarceration to protect the community and individuals driven by addiction, mental health issues, or economic hardship. Accountability must be meaningful; true public safety comes from pairing firm consequences with rehabilitation, diversion, and targeted treatment to address root causes and prevent recidivism."

Differences from opponent: Johnson said: "My opponent was just elected to a six-year term on the Court of Common Pleas in 2024. Running for a different seat on the exact same court with four years left on her term creates an unnecessary judicial vacancy, one that would take the decision away from voters and hand it to a political appointment by the governor."

What he brings to Common Pleas: Johnson said his background spans "every major area that comes before a Common Pleas judge," including criminal defense, plaintiff's litigation, probate law and administrative law. "Because a court's authority relies on public trust, my work across local mentorship programs, civil rights initiatives, and legal education allows me to bring an approachable, community-grounded judicial temperament to the bench," he said.

Best advice: "I've always lived by the principle that excellence must be standard in every task," Johnson said. "Beyond basic duty, doing your best honors the responsibility you've been given, inspiring trust in those watching and opening doors to future service."