Election 2024: Steve Elliott, Jennifer Hensal vie for 9th District Appeals judge

Neither of the candidates for the 9th District Court of Appeals originally aspired to be a judge.

Judge Jennifer Hensal, who is defending the 9th District seat she’s held for 11 years, said people would tell her she was going to be a judge some day and she’d respond, “No I am not.”

Hensal, though, decided she wanted to follow in the footsteps of her father and great uncle, who were both judges.

“I think I’m in the place I’m supposed to be,” she said.

Steve Elliott, Hensal’s challenger, discovered this was his calling after becoming a magistrate in Summit County Probate Court six years ago.

“I realized it’s something I want to do, and began pursuing it,” Elliott said.

Both candidates have more than 20 years of legal experience. Voters will decide in the Nov. 5 election which of them is best qualified for a six-year term on the 9th District court.

The district, which is based in Akron, covers Summit, Medina and Lorain counties.

Steve Elliott is chief magistrate in Summit County Probate Court

Elliott, a Democrat, has been a magistrate in Summit County Probate Court since 2018 and the chief magistrate in that court since 2023.

As chief magistrate, Elliott said he handles cases in all areas of probate law, including adoption, estates and guardianships. He also helps with personnel decisions and budget planning.

Before this, he was an attorney in private practice for 15 years, worked for the Ohio Adult Parole Authority and was a CIA officer.

Elliott ran for office for the first time last November, when he competed for a seat on Barberton Municipal Court. He lost to Diana Stevenson, the former longtime Barberton clerk who had been appointed to this position.

Elliott said he’s interested in the 9th District because of the wide variety of cases the court handles, including civil, criminal and probate. He said none of the current 9th District judges have a background in probate law.

“It would be an asset to have that probate knowledge,” he said.

Elliott said his background as a magistrate and in private practice and law enforcement make him an ideal candidate.

“I think my experience goes beyond just a judicial officer aspect,” he said.

If elected, Elliott said he’d like to do all he can to make sure people have equal access to justice at the appellate level.

Elliott has been trying his best to connect with voters in the district’s three counties. He’s had fundraisers in Summit County, talked to a newspaper in Lorain County and interviewed with the Medina Rotary for a segment that will be posted on a local cable network.

Elliott, though, said he is concerned about politics playing a bigger role in the judiciary across the country.

“That’s something I would avoid as judge,” he said. “The precedent is there for a reason.”

Jennifer Hensal hopes to hold onto her position as appellate judge

Hensal, a Republican, got her start in politics when she ran for Akron mayor in 2011.

She lost that race, but won a seat on the 9th District in 2012, beating incumbent Clair Dickinson.

Hensal, 57, is now the second most senior of the five judges on the 9th District bench, with only Judge Donna Carr outranking her. She said she enjoys being in what many call the “quiet court.”

“When you get an appellate judge in public talking, we won’t shut up,” Hensal said. “We don’t get to talk to too many people. It suits me well.”

Prior to the 9th District, Hensal was in private practice for 20 years, handling a wide range of cases.

Hensal has served as the administrative judge in the 9th District several times and has heard cases in other districts and before the Ohio Supreme Court.

“I have 11 years of experience on the bench,” she said. “That manifests itself in a positive way in a lot of different aspects.”

Hensal said the court added technology during the pandemic and can now hear oral arguments via Zoom if needed. The oral arguments are all shown on YouTube.

Since Hensal has been with the 9th District, the court moved to a new location and hired both a full-time security guard and full-time mediator.

If re-elected, Hensal said she’d like to serve on more statewide committees to bring back ideas to the 9th District.

Hensal said she’s been attending candidates' nights, parades and community events.

“We try to go to as many steak fries and pancake breakfasts as we can,” she said.

Hensal thinks that, though judges have political opinions, they shouldn’t be influenced by them. She thinks that she and her fellow 9th District judges have been able to do this.

“Those things should be left outside the courtroom, and everyone dealt with fairly and impartially,” she said.

Stephanie Warsmith can be reached at swarsmith@thebeaconjournal.com, 330-996-3705 and on X (formerly Twitter): @swarsmithabj.

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Jennifer Hensal, Steve Elliott square off in appeals judge race