Today’s the day that many voters step into a polling booth and realize they didn’t do enough homework to on the candidates running for judge. It’s long been a chore to sort through the list or mostly Irish and Italian surname, to tell one O’Malley from another, one Russo from the next. It’s also incredibly important. Elected judges have a lot of power to change the lives of the people who stand before them. About a third of voters in Cuyahoga County have skipped voting for judges in the past, and most say it’s because they simply didn’t have enough information to be confident in their vote.

In Cuyahoga County, the primary elections are extra important. In some cases, the candidate who wins the primary has no challenger in the fall general election so they’ll automatically become a judge.

Below you can learn about each candidate running in a contested primary – that means there’s more than one person in the race. You can also click and the images for more details, including candidate answers to questions posed by Greater Clevelanders.

View the entire judge guide created by The Marshall Project and Signal Cleveland.

Democratic primary: Judge Nancy Margaret Russo and Carl Mazzone

Carl Mazzone, a veteran Cuyahoga County prosecutor,  is running against Judge Nancy Margaret Russo, who has been on the bench since 1997.  The two are seeking the seat on the Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas long held by Judge Daniel Gaul, who was suspended from bench for the remainder of his term.

A drawing of a white woman in a judge's robe.

Judge Nancy Margaret Russo

  • Was 8 years old when she decided she wanted to be a judge.
  • Started Re-Entry Court in 2007 to work with people returning home from prison.
  • Had concerns about a courtwide shift to using more personal bonds but now has found it effective alongside the use of pretrial monitoring.
Read Russo’s responses to questions submitted by Clevelanders.
An illustration of a white man in a suit.

Carl Mazzone

  • Prosecuted major trials, including murder cases, for more than a dozen years.
  • Says a judge “cannot be afraid to make tough decisions.”
Read Mazzone’s responses to questions submitted by Clevelanders.

Democratic primary: Kira Krivosh, Fallon Kilbane McNally and Jennifer McTernan

Three candidates are running for a seat on the court’s General Division, which has 34 judges. The seat was previously held by Judge Michael Russo, who died in October after a long illness. The candidate who prevails in the primary will face Republican Timothy Clary in the General Election. Clary was appointed to fill Russo’s seat by Gov. Michael DeWine.

A white woman in a judge robe with pearls.

Kira Krivosh

  • Juvenile Court magistrate deciding child support cases.
  • Former substitute teacher and current legal educator.
Read Krivosh’s responses to questions submitted by Clevelanders.
Illustration of a blonde woman in a suit.

Fallon Kilbane McNally

  • Was a nurse before jury duty inspired her to go to law school.
  • Would like to preside over a mental health docket.
  • Prosecuted high profile Cleveland School of the Arts sexual assault case.
Read McNally’s responses to questions submitted by Clevelanders.
An illustration of a white woman in a black dress, wearing a nacklance.

Jennifer McTernan

  • Criminal defense attorney certified in representing clients with mental health and developmental disabilities.
  • Says many assume “the worst felony someone can get is a murder charge, but in reality, the worst felony someone can get is their first felony.”
Read McTernan’s responses to questions submitted by Clevelanders.

Democratic primary: Fallon Marie Radigan, Ray Tarasuck and Mollie Ann Murphy

Fallon Marie Radigan, Mollie Ann Murphy and Ray Tarasuck are running for a seat on the Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court’s General Division long held by Judge John D. Sutula, who is retiring. The winner of the race will face Republican Tim Hess in the General Election.

An illustration of a woman with dark hair, smiling.

Fallon Marie Radigan

  • Led the Ohio Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force for the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s office.
  • Says the criminal justice system should be colorblind to outside bias.
Read Radigan’s responses to questions submitted by Clevelanders.
An illustration of a man wearing a black suit.

Ray Tarasuck

  • Member of the Cuyahoga County Democratic Party executive committee.
  • Grew up in a working class household in Youngstown.
  • Serves on Cleveland’s Landmarks Commission.
Tarasuck didn’t respond to questions. Read more about him.
An illustration of a woman with long brown hair.

Mollie Ann Murphy

  • Juvenile Court magistrate hearing abuse and neglect cases.
  • Worked as a criminal prosecutor for a decade.
Murphy didn’t respond to questions. Read more about her.

Democratic primary: Joseph P. O’Malley and Judge Alison Nelson Floyd

Joseph P. O’Malley is running against Judge Alison Nelson Floyd for a seat on the Cuyahoga County Juvenile Court.

An illustration of a Black woman with short hair smiling.

Judge Alison Nelson Floyd

  • Juvenile Court judge since 2000.
  • Member of Delta Sigma Theta, a national public-service sorority.
  • Praised for her compassion with children; criticized for a slow-moving docket.
Floyd didn’t respond to questions. Read more about her.
An illustration of a white man wearing a black suit.

Joseph P. O’Malley

  • Regained law license after it was suspended following a 2011 federal conviction for lying to the FBI and failing to report a federal crime.
  • Brother of Juvenile Court Administrative Judge Thomas F. O’Malley and the late Domestic Relations Judge Kathleen O’Malley.
  • Co-owns bar Fat Little Buddies in Olmsted Falls.
Read O’Malley’s responses to questions submitted by Clevelanders.

Credits

Clevelanders, community organizations, and Documenters all played a critical role in informing our process. We thank them for their generous time and feedback as we designed and developed this community tool.

Profile editing Rachel Dissell, Phil Trexler

Copy editing Ghazala Irshad, Mary Ellen Huesken

Cleveland Documenters Daniel McLaughlin, Karima McCree-Wilson, Barbara Phipps, Ayanna Rose Banks, Alyssa Holznagel, Ronaldo Rodriguez Jr., Tucker Handley

Illustrations John G

Additional art direction Jovelle Tamayo

Community outreach Louis Fields, Rachel Dissell

Community listening and collaborative design Rachel Dissell, Andrew Rodriguez Calderón, Ana Mendez, Nicole Lewis

Project editing and project management Andrew Rodriguez Calderón, David Eads

The Marshall Project is a nonpartisan, nonprofit news organization that seeks to create and sustain a sense of national urgency about the U.S. criminal justice system. Through a partnership with Signal Cleveland, The Marshall Project is weaving more resident voices into its reporting and building an understanding about how the justice system works — and doesn’t work — in Cleveland.