Ohio Supreme Court Justice Melody Stewart not only the first Black woman to join the state supreme court back in 2018, but the first elected to any statewide office in Ohio. During the course of her 30 year legal career, she’s been a litigator, a law professor and an intermediate appellate court judge. She is also a classically trained pianist. But her latest role as the 2024 incumbent Democratic candidate is one she does not relish.

State judicial elections have grown more competitive over the years as state courts are increasingly recognized as a battleground for contentious policy issues. But Justice Stewart’s bid to stay on the bench is even more rancorous than most, because her Republican challenger is fellow Justice Joe Deters, who took office in 2023 after being appointed to his seat by Ohio Governor Mike DeWine. He could have run a retention election for a two-year term this fall, but instead chose to challenge Justice Stewart, potentially unseating her and getting a six-year term.

We spoke to Justice Stewart about running for judicial office in increasingly partisan elections, what it’s like to sit next to her political opponent on the bench, and reforms she’s championed during her tenure on the high court.