Meet Judge Marilyn Zayas, Candidate for Ohio Supreme Court

In this episode of American Motherhood, we sit down with Judge Marilyn Zayas, who's running for one of two seats on the Ohio Supreme Court.

We cover how the Ohio Supreme Court touches everyday family life, where the line falls between interpreting the law and making policy, setting aside personal opinion to follow the law, party labels on judicial ballots, and what the court can do when the legislature doesn't comply with its rulings. Above all, this is a conversation about making the court and judicial races more accessible and transparent for all Ohioans.

Our goal isn't to tell you who to vote for. It's to give Ohio voters a chance to hear directly from candidates, understand their values, and get a better sense of how they will lead.

Listen to the full conversation and follow our Ohio 2026 candidate interview series at americanmotherhood.com.

Resources for this conversation:

We've included resources below to help you explore the issues discussed in this interview. They may provide additional context, support what was said, or offer information that adds nuance or a different perspective.

Want to learn more about the judicial candidates on your ballot?

1. VOTE411: The League of Women Voters' nonpartisan voter guide. Enter your address to see every race on your ballot, including judges, with candidates' answers in their own words.
2. Judicial Votes Count: Ohio's nonpartisan, statewide resource on judicial elections. It has candidate profiles with qualifications, endorsements, and reasons for running, plus explainers on how Ohio's courts work.
3. Judge4Yourself: Nonpartisan ratings of Ohio Supreme Court and Cuyahoga County judicial candidates from a coalition of bar associations. Candidates are rated from "Excellent" to "Not Recommended" based on integrity, knowledge, experience, diligence, and impartiality.



Want to understand the court's role in school funding and redistricting?

1. DeRolph v. State: School Funding Case (Ohio Legislative Service Commission): A nonpartisan legislative summary of Ohio's landmark school funding case. In 1997, the Ohio Supreme Court ruled 4 to 3 that the state's funding system was unconstitutional. The court revisited the case several times over the following years before ending its involvement, but the underlying funding problems were never fully resolved.
2. Ohio Legislative District Maps Ruled Unconstitutional (Court News Ohio): The Ohio Supreme Court's own summary of its first 2022 redistricting ruling, including both the majority and dissenting views. From 2021 to 2022, the court struck down Ohio's state legislative maps five times and the congressional maps twice.
3. Ohio's EdChoice Voucher Case (Statehouse News Bureau): Coverage of the appeal of a 2025 lower court ruling that found Ohio's EdChoice private school voucher program unconstitutional. The case may reach the Ohio Supreme Court. The state argues vouchers are scholarships that give families more educational options, not state funding for private schools.