Chris Wagner seeks reelection to Hamilton County bench

Judge Chris Wagner is running for reelection to the Hamilton County Court of Common Pleas, General Division, in the Nov. 3, 2026, general election. The race is nonpartisan.

Wagner has served on the Common Pleas bench since Jan. 4, 2021, according to his campaign website. He said he has presided over 4,000 cases during that time.

Candidate information

Office sought: Hamilton County Common Pleas Court Judge, General Division
Education: Bachelor's degree, Xavier University; juris doctor, University of Cincinnati College of Law
Family: Married to Nora Burke Wagner; three children
Background: Raised on Cincinnati's west side; graduate of St. James White Oak Elementary School and St. Xavier High School
Notable recognition: Named 2023 Trial Judge of the Year by the Southwest Ohio Trial Lawyers Association, according to his campaign website

Experience and public service

Wagner said he has practiced law since November 2000. Before taking the bench, he held several legal positions across Ohio, according to his campaign website:

Judicial clerk, Hamilton County Court of Common Pleas, chambers of Judge Ann Marie Tracey
Major trial prosecutor, Cuyahoga County Prosecutor's Office
Special assistant United States attorney, U.S. Attorney's Office, Northern District of Ohio
Managing attorney, Ohio Attorney General's Office, Cincinnati Regional Office
Chief legal officer, Hamilton County Clerk of Courts, office of Aftab Pureval

Wagner also served as president of the Cincinnati Bar Association in 2020 and was elected to one term as presiding judge of the Common Pleas court, according to his campaign website.

On the issues

Wagner's campaign website does not include a dedicated policy or issues page. His site highlights two areas of his judicial record:

Jury service reform: Wagner said he and the other Common Pleas judges reformed jury service in Hamilton County. The number of days jurors must serve has been cut in half, and juror pay has increased, according to his campaign website.

Veterans Treatment Court: Wagner said he presides over the Hamilton County Veterans Treatment Court. The specialty court provides services and treatment to military veterans charged with felonies who are dealing with addiction, PTSD, homelessness and other trauma, according to his campaign website.

Wagner also said he presided over the first serious mental illness capital murder case in Ohio, removing the death penalty as a punishment without objection by the prosecution and pursuant to Ohio law.