Maureen O'Connor

In 2002, O'Connor ran for and was elected to the Ohio Supreme Court, defeating Democrat Timothy Black. She began serving in 2003. She was reelected in 2008 with 67.14% of the vote against Democrat Joseph Russo. O'Connor defeated Chief Justice Eric Brown in the 2010 general election with 67.59% of the vote. Brown had been appointed Chief Justice by Gov. Ted Strickland in May 2010 after the death of Thomas J. Moyer. She is the sixth woman to have served as an Ohio Supreme Court justice and is the first woman to hold the post of Chief Justice. For the 2016 election, the Democratic Party did not field a candidate to run against O'Connor.

In 1998, O'Connor was elected Ohio's 61st Lieutenant Governor and served in that office from 1999 to 2003 under Governor Bob Taft.

O'Connor earned a bachelor's degree at Seton Hill University, Greensburg, Pennsylvania in 1973 and a Juris Doctor degree at Cleveland State University Cleveland-Marshall College of Law in 1980. In 1981, O'Connor began practicing law in Summit County, Ohio. In 1985, she was appointed a magistrate of the Summit County Probate Court. She was then elected as a judge of the Summit County Court of Common Pleas, serving on the bench from 1993 to 1995. In 1994, she was elected to the office of Summit County prosecutor and served in that office from 1995 to 1999. O'Connor received "The Cleveland State University Distinguished Alumnae Award for Civic Achievement" in 1997.

Maureen O'Connor (born August 7, 1951) is an American jurist and the Chief Justice of the Ohio Supreme Court. Prior to this, O'Connor served as an Associate Justice of the Ohio Supreme Court and as the 61st Lieutenant Governor of Ohio, serving under Governor Bob Taft. She is a Republican.