Marilyn Zayas

Marilyn Zayas earned a B.S. from City College of New York in 1987 and a law degree from the University of Cincinnati College of Law in 1997. Zayas' career experience includes working as an IT manager with Procter & Gamble and as an attorney.[1]

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Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I am a judge on Ohio’s First District Court of Appeals, and the first and only Latina elected to any Ohio appellate court. As a political outsider, I was honored to be elected in 2016 by 51%, and re-elected in 2018 by over 60% of the voters. My judicial reputation is that I consider the perspectives of all involved, and faithfully apply the law and our constitution. My goal is to continue to build a judicial reputation that protects the integrity of the court and inspires others from nontraditional backgrounds to pursue law careers.

Since joining the court, I have decided over 1,200 cases throughout Ohio. I was selected by Ohio’s Chief Justice to sit with the Ohio Supreme Court for a case. I was also appointed by the Chief Justice to sit on the Second, Sixth, Eighth, and Tenth District Courts of Appeal. I am rated “Excellent”, the highest rating by the Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association.

I grew up in a working-class neighborhood that was devastated by drugs and crime. Ohio became my home 34 years ago when I came to work as an IT manager for Procter & Gamble. I have three adult children and two rescue dogs.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

Judicial Independence and Integrity: When people come to court, they want an equal opportunity to be heard and an independent judge who will fully and fairly resolves the case. My judicial philosophy is to faithfully apply the law and our constitution equally to all, independent of outside influence or partisan pressure. Politics have no role to play in our judiciary. My judicial record shows that I thoroughly review the facts of each case, analyze and apply the law as written, and understand that each decision affects people of all walks of life throughout the varied communities of Ohio’s 88 counties. My priority is to ensure that the law is applied fairly and consistently, with integrity, independence, and common sense.Courts that are Accountable and Accessible: I will support and advance the justice reform initiatives introduced by our current Chief Justice to enlarge accountability, transparency and access. This includes creating a state-wide, public access sentencing database where you can review sentences across the counties for similar offenses with similar circumstances. I am also interested in advancing initiatives that work towards eliminating bias in our justice system. Additionally, I will seek ways to support and enlarge the use of specialized dockets that have proven to be successful in helping people get on their feet and to reduce crimes on our community. This includes the mental health, veterans, and drug courts.Courts that work for you: It is important to have judges with a variety of backgrounds and perspectives to ensure that each issue is carefully and completely reviewed. I bring a unique perspective to the court, which comes from my 6 years of experience as an appellate judge, my 20 years of experience advocating for clients, and my underprivileged background. Our state deserves a justice from a background and circumstances that represent many of the Ohioans the court serves, who has the courage to take on challenging issues with an independent and common-sense approach focused on maintaining the integrity of our judiciary.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Inspiring Our Youth: Since my election, I have created and implemented the “Educating Tomorrow’s Leaders program,” a partnership with high schools and universities that brings students to our Court of Appeals. I am committed to providing students with the opportunity to learn about the court system, observe our court system in action, and interact with judges and attorneys. My goal is to inspire and mentor the next generation and encourage them to pursue their dreams regardless of the obstacles they face. My childhood was very humble. I was born in Spanish Harlem and grew up in tough, drug and crime ridden, inner-city neighborhoods. I was not expected to accomplish much in my life, but I had dreams of escaping the challenges I faced growing up. I learned the value of hard work, dedication, and education, and overcame numerous obstacles to earn a college degree in computer science. A few years later, I followed my passion to become an attorney. During this time, I learned the value and importance of helping hands along the way, and it inspires me to help others achieve their dreams. In 2021 Good Morning America recognized me for my community contributions, including my work with students.

What would be your top three priorities, if elected?

1) Judicial Temperament: Judicial independence and integrity requires that judges perform their duties fairly and impartially. My legal philosophy is to be faithful to the law. Politics should have no role to play in our judiciary. It is of paramount importance to me that I thoroughly review the facts and evidence of each case, analyze and apply the law as written, and to ensure a just and fair resolution. Public trust and confidence in the judiciary is achieved through transparency. My team of staff attorneys and I work very hard to ensure that our decisions are detailed, well-analyzed, and rooted in the law. By clearly and concisely explaining our decisions to the parties, we best ensure that they can move on with their lives, regardless of the case’s outcome, because their case was fully and fairly resolved.

2) Conscientious: For over six years, I was an IT Manager at Procter & Gamble. My engineering and technology experiences fostered my critical thinking skills and my ability to analyze and solve problems while paying attention to details. The job required the integrity to maintain high standards while meeting deadlines and serving the clients. These skills help ensure that accuracy is not compromised in reviewing the entirety of every case that comes before me at our Court of Appeals. I previously served the community as an attorney for nearly 20 years. I have worked in a variety of environments including a large law firm, the Hamilton County Public Defender’s Office, and running my own legal practice. My extensive legal background includes experience in Federal and State appeals, immigration law, intellectual property, labor and employment, criminal, delinquency, custody and adoptions. I established a successful law practice assisting a variety of clients in navigating the complex immigration system including entrepreneurs, hospitals, performance artists, technology firms and physicians. My law practice was built on a strong reputation for providing honest and zealous representation, and on the intricate cases I successfully navigated. It is my priority to ensure the law is applied with balance and consistency in every case. My past experience allows me to thoroughly review each case and accurately apply the law.

3) Collaboration: Each case in the court of appeals is decided by a panel of three judges. We work together, respect each other, and learn from each other. It is important to have judges with a variety of backgrounds and perspectives to ensure that each case receives a fair and thorough review. As a current Court of Appeals judge, my diverse background has allowed me to take an independent approach to each case, with a focus on maintaining integrity and impartiality. My life experiences have also enabled me to collaborate and be thorough and fair, while being faithful to the law. I am proud of the work I have done serving the community as an appellate judge.[4][5]

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about? Why?

Inspiring Our Youth: Since my election, I have created and implemented the “Students to Court of Appeals Program,” a partnership with local high schools to bring High School students to our Court of Appeals. I am committed to providing students with the opportunity to learn about the court system, observe our court system in action, and interact with judges and attorneys. My goal is to inspire and mentor the next generation and encourage them to pursue their dreams regardless of the obstacles they face. My childhood was very humble. I was born in Spanish Harlem and grew up in one of the toughest New York City neighborhoods. I was not expected to accomplish much in my life, but I had dreams of escaping the poverty and challenges I faced growing up. I learned the value of hard work, dedication, and education, and overcame numerous obstacles to earn a college degree in computer science, from the school of engineering. A few years later, I followed my passion to become an attorney. During this time, I learned the value and importance of helping hands along the way, and it inspires me to help others achieve their dreams. I would be honored to continue to serve our community and ensure that justice is administered with integrity, independence, and impartiality.Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; invalid names, e.g. too many[5]

Zayas stated the following about her political philosophy in a biographical submission to [the profile publisher]:[1]

My legal philosophy is to be faithful to the law. Politics should have no role to play in our judiciary. It is of paramount importance to me that I thoroughly review the facts and evidence of each case, analyze and apply the law as written, and to ensure a just and fair resolution.[5]