Marilyn Zayas

Judge Zayas has served on the Ohio First District Court of Appeals since 2016.

Info From Other Sources:

• Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey
• "My judicial reputation is that I consider the perspectives of all involved, and faithfully apply the law and our constitution. My goal is to continue to build a judicial reputation that protects the integrity of the court and inspires others from nontraditional backgrounds to pursue law careers."
• Said that the three key messages of her campaign are:
• "Judicial Independence and Integrity: When people come to court, they want an equal opportunity to be heard and an independent judge who will fully and fairly resolves the case. My judicial philosophy is to faithfully apply the law and our constitution equally to all, independent of outside influence or partisan pressure. Politics have no role to play in our judiciary. My judicial record shows that I thoroughly review the facts of each case, analyze and apply the law as written, and understand that each decision affects people of all walks of life throughout the varied communities of Ohio’s 88 counties. My priority is to ensure that the law is applied fairly and consistently, with integrity, independence, and common sense."
• "Courts that are Accountable and Accessible: I will support and advance the justice reform initiatives introduced by our current Chief Justice to enlarge accountability, transparency and access. This includes creating a state-wide, public access sentencing database where you can review sentences across the counties for similar offenses with similar circumstances. I am also interested in advancing initiatives that work towards eliminating bias in our justice system. Additionally, I will seek ways to support and enlarge the use of specialized dockets that have proven to be successful in helping people get on their feet and to reduce crimes on our community. This includes the mental health, veterans, and drug courts."
  
• "Courts that work for you: It is important to have judges with a variety of backgrounds and perspectives to ensure that each issue is carefully and completely reviewed. I bring a unique perspective to the court, which comes from my 6 years of experience as an appellate judge, my 20 years of experience advocating for clients, and my underprivileged background. Our state deserves a justice from a background and circumstances that represent many of the Ohioans the court serves, who has the courage to take on challenging issues with an independent and common-sense approach focused on maintaining the integrity of our judiciary."
• In an earlier survey, Judge Zayas said, "My legal philosophy is to be faithful to the law. Politics should have no role to play in our judiciary. It is of paramount importance to me that I thoroughly review the facts and evidence of each case, analyze and apply the law as written, and to ensure a just and fair resolution. Public trust and confidence in the judiciary is achieved through transparency. My team of staff attorneys and I work very hard to ensure that our decisions are detailed, well-analyzed, and rooted in the law. By clearly and concisely explaining our decisions to the parties, we best ensure that they can move on with their lives, regardless of the case’s outcome, because their case was fully and fairly resolved."
• Posted on Facebook that she was endorsed by unions
• Posted on Facebook, "As Pride Month is winding down, we want to take this opportunity to highlight a young leader in the LGBTQIA+ community that is making a big difference in Ohio! Thank you Lexi Hayman-Staples for all that you do! #HappyPride2022"