Michael Donnelly

Candidate insights: Elected as an Ohio Supreme Court justice in 2018 after serving as a Cuyahoga County Common Pleas judge for 13 years.
Advocates for "factually-based pleas" that reflect the crime that occurred.
Wrote an opinion in a case that rolled back more than $200 million in extra charges Ohioans were forced to pay FirstEnergy.
Sitting Judge?: Yes
Party: democrat
Residence: Cleveland Heights
Admitted to practice law in Ohio: 1992
Previous jobs: Prosecutor, Private practice (civil)
Links: Campaign website Financial disclosure (2021) Financial disclosure (2022)

You asked. They answered.

Michael Donnelly's responses to questions from the community.

When you aren’t on the bench, what do you do to contribute to the community?

I served on the board of the Cleveland Baseball Federation, which provides baseball and softball summer programs at no charge to children living in lower-income areas of Cleveland and East Cleveland.

I participated in the development of the Western Reserve Fire Museum, which educates children about fire safety, and served as a board member of Chagrin Arts, a nonprofit founded in 2007 that promotes arts programing and is committed to diversity, equity, inclusion and justice in all its forms.

I also work with and promote the Cleveland Legal Aid Society, which in my opinion is Cleveland's most important institution because it provides access to justice to people with lower incomes. To ensure that the society has the resources it needs to continue to do its essential work, I have participated in their fundraising efforts including the annual Jam for Justice. My rock ‘n’ roll band has played at what I like to call the “legal event of the summer” for the past decade.

Ohio’s Supreme Court often decides cases on topics where justices may have personal, ideological or political convictions. How do you approach those cases and do you consider how they might affect Ohioans whose life experiences are different from yours?

First and foremost, I am an independent jurist whose only allegiance is to the U.S. and Ohio constitutions and the people who expect and deserve nothing less than equal treatment under the law. My commitment to independence is more important than ever at a time when the court has become increasingly politicized and driven by ideology rather than respect for precedent or an unbiased interpretation of the law.

When deliberating over a decision, I apply the law as written and do not engage in results-oriented analysis or bend the law in an attempt to arrive at a preconceived outcome and comply with the overarching judicial obligation to uphold the law without regard to my personal views.

Share one example of a case you handled as a judge, prosecutor or defense attorney that has or would influence your approach to being an Ohio Supreme Court justice and why.

Ohio v. Gwynne, one of the first cases I reviewed as a newly elected justice in 2019, deepened my commitment to reform Ohio's criminal sentencing laws by creating a sentencing database. Ms. Gwynne was a 55-year-old woman who was charged with numerous felonies in Delaware County for stealing property from residents in nursing homes. Defense counsel negotiated a plea agreement in which Gwynne agreed to plead to numerous felony and misdemeanor counts. Her attorney attempted to negotiate a sentence of three to four years while the state sought a sentence in the range of 10 to 15 years. The judge in the case sentenced her to 65 years.

This case illustrates the stark reality of sentencing in Ohio including the strong possibility that two judges could impose two vastly different sentences for the same crime. It also supports my belief that the solution for the problem lies in moving Ohio toward a data-driven criminal justice system, which will in turn increase transparency and restore public confidence in the system.