Nicole Sanders is running for Hamilton County Common Pleas Court Judge in the Drug Court Division in the Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026, general election. The race is nonpartisan.

Sanders, a lifelong Cincinnati resident, has spent more than two decades working in Hamilton County's legal system, according to her campaign website and her Ballotpedia biography. She is certified for the ballot, according to BallotReady election data. The Drug Court Division handles cases involving defendants whose offenses are connected to substance abuse.

Candidate information

  • Office sought: Hamilton County Common Pleas Court Judge, Drug Court Division (Term Commencing 1/3)
  • Party: Nonpartisan
  • Hometown: Cincinnati, Ohio
  • Education: High school diploma, Withrow High School; bachelor of science, University of Cincinnati (2000); juris doctor, University of Cincinnati (2003)
  • Bar memberships: Ohio State Bar, Southern District Western Division, Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals and the United States Supreme Court of America, according to her campaign website
  • Honors: 2010 Cincinnati Academy of Leadership for Lawyers fellow; 2022 Champions of Recovery Award recipient; 2023 Ohio State Bar Foundation fellow, according to her campaign website

Experience and public service

Sanders has held several positions in Hamilton County government and Cincinnati city law offices, according to BallotReady profile data and her campaign website:

  • Assistant city prosecutor, Cincinnati (2004–2006)
  • Assistant city solicitor, Cincinnati City Law Department (2006–2007)
  • Chief counsel, collections, Cincinnati's Solicitor's Office (2007–2013)
  • Magistrate, Hamilton County Juvenile Court (April 2013–December 2020), according to her campaign website
  • Prosecutor, Mental Health Court, Cincinnati Municipal Court, according to her response on Judicial Votes Count
  • Judge, Hamilton County Common Pleas Court, Drug Court Division (2013–present), according to BallotReady

BallotReady lists Sanders as a Drug Court Division judge beginning in 2013, while her campaign website lists her as a Juvenile Court magistrate from April 2013 through December 2020. The overlap could not be resolved from available public records.

Sanders began her legal career in the Cincinnati city prosecutor's office in 2004, two years after earning her bachelor of science degree and one year after completing her juris doctor, both at the University of Cincinnati, according to Ballotpedia and BallotReady. She received the Champions of Recovery Award in 2022, according to her campaign website.

Endorsements

Sanders has received endorsements from two organizations, according to BallotReady:

  • AFL-CIO
  • Hamilton County Democratic Party

Editor's note: No candidate questionnaire response was available for this profile. This profile is based on publicly available information. Voters can learn more at her campaign website and her Ballotpedia page.