Judge Terri Jamison enters Ohio Supreme Court race

Judge Terri Jamison on Wednesday filed her declaration of candidacy for the unexpired term on the Supreme Court of Ohio currently held by Justice Joe Deters. 

Jamison submitted 2,156 signatures to the Ohio Secretary of State, far exceeding the required 1,000 signatures to file.

Jamison, the Democratic nominee for Supreme Court in 2022, garnered 1,764,845 votes in that election.

“The courts impact our lives each and every day,” Jamison said. “Ohioans need justices who believe in democracy, an independent judiciary and equal justice under the law. That’s why I’m proud to announce that I’m running for the Ohio Supreme Court.”

Jamison was a proud member of United Mine Workers of America as one of few women who worked as underground coal miners in West Virginia, before moving to Columbus to open a small business. Jamison ran her business for 16 years, while attaining her bachelor of science degree in business administration. She obtained her Juris Doctor in 2004 from Capital University Law School.

As an attorney, Jamison worked in the Franklin County Public Defender’s Office representing indigent clients in the Municipal Court system. Jamison later opened her own law office, focusing on criminal, juvenile, domestic relations and probate law at the trial and appellate level and served as a hearing officer for the Ohio Unemployment Compensation Review Commission. She was admitted to practice at the Supreme Court of the United States in 2007.

First elected to the Franklin County Common Pleas court in 2012, and later to the 10th District Court of Appeals in 2022, Jamison joins the race with more than a decade of judicial experience. She is widely known for her innovative problem solving in the court, having started the Compass Program in the Franklin County Domestic Relations Juvenile Court to assist parents that owed child support to become compliant with court orders.

Outside of her work on the court, Jamison has been actively engaged in the community. She’s involved in a number of community action organizations and founded the Judge Terri Jamison Scholarship for Single Parents at Franklin University.

Jamison will face Franklin County Common Pleas Judge Dan Hawkins in November.