Branch seeks Hamilton County judgeship in Nov. 3 election

Jennifer Branch is running for Hamilton County Common Pleas Court Judge in the General Division in the Nov. 3 general election. The nonpartisan race pits Branch against Roger Bouchard, according to BallotReady election data. Montgomery, Blue Ash and Sycamore Township residents will see this race on their ballots.

Branch is a sitting Hamilton County Common Pleas Court judge. She said on X that she took the bench in February 2021 as a newly elected judge. Before that, she practiced civil rights law for more than two decades and spent a decade in legal aid work.

Branch has not responded to the Montgomery-Blue Ash Courier's candidate questionnaire. The information below is drawn from public records and verified sources.

Candidate information

Office sought: Hamilton County Common Pleas Court Judge, General Division (Term Commencing Feb. 9)
Party: Nonpartisan
Ballot status: Certified for the ballot
Education: Bachelor's in politics, New York University, 1984; juris doctor, Case Western Reserve University, 1987

Experience and public service

Branch began her legal career at the Legal Aid Society of Cincinnati, where she worked as an attorney from 1987 to 1997, according to her law firm's website.

She joined the civil rights practice at Gerhardstein & Branch Co. LPA in 1997 and became a partner in 2005, according to the firm. There she represented plaintiffs in state and federal court in cases involving discrimination, government misconduct, prisoner civil rights, reproductive rights, election law and cases championing LGBT rights, the firm's website states.

Branch represented the plaintiffs in Ohio's marriage equality cases, including Obergefell v. Hodges, in which the United States Supreme Court established same-sex marriage as a fundamental right, according to the firm's website.

She also represented Gabriel Taye's mother in the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals, Branch said on X. She described that case as the last argument she made in the Sixth Circuit before taking the bench in February 2021.

On the issues

Before taking the bench in 2021, Branch said on X that she was "looking forward to joining the bench in February and working to end racial disparities in our legal system as a judge."

No additional policy positions were available. Branch did not respond to the Courier's questionnaire.