Megan E. Shanahan at a glance
- Current role
- Justice
- Jurisdiction
- Ohio · State
- Judicial service
- Active
Megan E. Shanahan
Justice · Supreme Court of Ohio
Biography
Professional career
- The 165th Justice of the Ohio Supreme Court, elected in 2024 and assuming office January 1, 2025, after a decade as a Hamilton County Common Pleas judge and earlier as a felony prosecutor
- She then held the role of a Hamilton County municipal court judge (elected 2011, re‐elected 2013)
- Began as an assistant prosecutor in Butler County, later becoming Supervising Attorney of the Felony Division
Education
- University of Cincinnati College of Law — J.D. (2000)
- Kent State University — B.A. (1995)
Additional information
- In 2022, she was the only Ohio judge to testify before the General Assembly in support of a constitutional amendment allowing judges to consider public safety in bail decisions; the amendment passed with 77% approval.
- In 2015, Governor John Kasich appointed her to the Hamilton County Court of Common Pleas, where she presided over some of Ohio’s most serious and complex cases for a decade
- In 2009, she received the Peggy Caldwell Award from Hope in Heels for her work with crime victims Supreme Court of Ohio
- Known for a transparent, no‐nonsense approach to justice.
- She is a member of the Federalist Society and has stated opposition to “legislating from the bench”
- focusing on violent crimes, especially those involving child victims.
- Birth place: Pennsylvania
Applicable Court Rules & Procedures
Remote appearances
Statewide
Ohio's statewide virtual-court guidance tells courts to include instructions for submitting exhibits or notifying the court of witnesses when remote-hearing information is sent to participants.
Instructions for submitting exhibits or notifying the court of witnesses.Virtual Public Access to Ohio Court Proceedings ↗
Statewide
Ohio's statewide virtual-court guidance recommends advance ground rules for documents, exhibits, screen sharing, and pre-marking exhibits for remote hearings.
Documents: Share any documents/exhibits that will be reviewed in advance. Use the share screen function while documents are being discussed during the hearing. Request that the documents are pre-marked for exhibit purposes.Virtual Public Access to Ohio Court Proceedings ↗
Statewide
Ohio's statewide virtual-court guidance states that litigants, attorneys, and the public should be instructed not to record the hearing.
The court should instruct the litigants, attorneys, and the public to not record the hearing.Virtual Public Access to Ohio Court Proceedings ↗
Sources
Identity source checked August 22, 2026.
Biography sources checked August 2, 2026.
Supreme Court of Ohio official judicial roster
Identity source · HTML · Source checked August 22, 2026
View Supreme Court of Ohio official judicial roster ↗Virtual Public Access to Ohio Court Proceedings
Statewide source · HTML · Source checked July 26, 2026
View Virtual Public Access to Ohio Court Proceedings ↗