Jennifer Brunner

(1) List your judicial experience (courts and years)
Incumbent court of appeals judge, Ohio Tenth District Court of Appeals, elected November 4, 2014 to unexpired term (seeking reelection to full, six-year term, beginning January 1, 2017) Judge, Franklin County Common Pleas Court, General Division, elected November 2000 to unexpired term and reelected in November 2002 to full, six-year term

(2) What about your non-judicial legal experience qualifies you to be a judge?
The Ohio Tenth District Court of Appeals is the only court of appeals among Ohio’s 12 judicial appellate districts that reviews nearly all state government appellate matters, since state government is located in Columbus. Most administrative appeals from state agency decisions may be appealed by state law to the Franklin County County Common Pleas Court and and are subject to review by the Tenth District Court of Appeals. Other administrative appeals from some state agencies are reviewed directly by the Tenth District Court of Appeals, while some original actions (in mandamus), seeking to require the Ohio Bureau of Workers Compensation to decide differently in injured workers matters, are brought in the first instance in the Tenth District Court of Appeals. Having been elected to this court in 2014, I have greatly appreciated how my past experience has helped me perform my duties as a judge since being elected. Having served as Ohio’s 52nd Secretary of State, managing an agency of 200 employees and collaborating with other state agencies, elected officials, county prosecutors, county commissioners and boards of elections in all of Ohio’s 88 counties has given me a unique perspective, especially on state and local government matters. This practical experience and familiarity with the operation of Ohio, Franklin County and municipal governments in Franklin County assists the court in reviewing and examining the arguments of the parties before this court. Having managed litigation and attorneys in both the public and private sectors, and having started my own law firm from the corner of my bedroom when my children were ages 7, 4 and 2, along with my judicial experience, help me conduct a balanced review of cases. My years of private practice were heavy in civil litigation seeking temporary and injunctive relief, extraordinary writs and involving administrative and other areas of civil law, well-suited to the nuances of this court’s docket. The work I have done overseas has given me a “big picture” view of how democracy and corruption are often at odds and has aided me in understanding cultural nuances as our communities here at home become more diverse. My judicial philosophy involves respecting state and federal constitutional separations of power, following legal precedent, having the patience to objectively examine the concerns of each individual litigant and working hard with fairness and compassion to ensure justice.

(3) Why are you running for this particular court seat?
I am running for reelection to the Ohio Tenth District Court of Appeals, because I value public service. Being a judge is first and foremost to my mind an act of public service. I believe my experience makes me well-suited for doing a good job at this work. I enjoy and value doing the work of an appellate judge and working with my judicial colleagues in three-judge panels on our eight-member court. I value working collaboratively with my colleagues and our staff to help solve problems for our community in a peaceable way, through the rule of law. When our decisions protect people and their rights, we are doing our part to improve the quality of life for the people we serve in Franklin County and Ohio, and this to me is what public service is all about.