Pink Rose Society

Eighth District Court of Appeals

Ohio's intermediate appellate court for Cuyahoga County — the Cleveland-based court that hears appeals from the Court of Common Pleas. Like the Tenth District in Columbus, its judges serve 6-year terms and, unlike trial-court judges, appear on the ballot with party labels (a 2021 Ohio law made appellate and Supreme Court races partisan; Common Pleas and Municipal races stayed nonpartisan).

Key facts

  • Five seats are on the 2026 ballot. Four are unopposed Democrats (Jeffrey Crossman, Michael John Ryan, Emanuella Groves, and Ashley Kilbane for a short unexpired term).
  • The exception — and a genuine contest — is Anita Laster Mays (D), an incumbent, vs. Anthony Alto (R), one of the few partisan judicial races in Northeast Ohio that is actually two-sided.

Connections

Sources