“I am grateful that Ohio voters entrusted me to serve as their Judge. Every day, in every case, I take my responsibility to do justice very seriously, and I am committed to ensuring that justice is administered with integrity, independence, and impartiality.”
Judicial Experience Matters!
Judge Zayas is honored that in 2016 the Hamilton County voters elected her to the Court of Appeals. After the election, the Court of Appeals faced an unprecedented transition because half of the judges were leaving the court. The first few months she was a judge, she had about three times more cases than average! She has heard hundreds of appeals from all trial courts in Hamilton County – Common Pleas, Municipal, Juvenile, Domestic Relations, and Probate. She is honored that the Ohio State Bar Association has selected several of her opinions for publication to provide guidance for attorneys and judges across the state.
Judge Zayas was selected by the Chief Justice to join the Ohio Supreme Court in June 2018 for a recused justice. She sat on a case with the six other justices, heard the attorney’s oral arguments, and took part in the determination of the case.
A majority of the cases heard at our Court of Appeals involve criminal convictions. Her extensive background in litigating criminal appeals, felonies, misdemeanors, and juvenile delinquency cases enables Judge Zayas to fully analyze these important issues.
The Court of Appeals draws many parallels to our Ohio Supreme Court. The decisions create binding law for Hamilton County trial judges, magistrates, and our community. There are three appellate judges that hear and decide each case. It is important to have a combination of different backgrounds and experiences to thoroughly review the cases, especially in those cases where error occurred and must be corrected. (Live picture at Ohio Supreme Court).
Today, we face difficult challenges and we need judges who have life experiences that help them to best address them. Judge Zayas’s unique background allows her to take an independent approach to each case with a focus on maintaining integrity and impartiality. She is very proud of her work as an appellate judge. Her commitment as a judge is recognized by attorneys who have stated that, “When Judge Zayas is on the bench, she is very prepared, listens to both sides, and follows the law.”
Judge Zayas was humbled to learn that she is the first Latina judge elected to an Ohio Court of Appeals. After her election, our Court of Appeals held its first all female, three judge panel.
