Judge Michael C. Mentel, a Democrat, is running for Ohio Appellate Court Judge - District 10 in the Nov. 3, 2026, Ohio General Election.

Mentel has served on the Tenth District Court of Appeals since February 2021, according to the court's website. He is certified for the ballot for the term commencing Feb. 9, according to BallotReady election data. The race is one of several appellate court contests Franklin County voters will decide this fall.

Candidate information

  • Party: Democratic
  • Office sought: Ohio Appellate Court Judge - District 10 (Term Commencing 2/9)
  • Education: Bachelor's degree in history and political science, Capital University (1984); juris doctor, Capital University (1987); study abroad in international contract law, Trinity College, Dublin, through University of San Diego School of Law; doctor of humane letters, honoris causa, Ohio Dominican University

Experience and public service

Before joining the appellate bench, Mentel built a career that moved between public service and private practice, according to the court's website and BallotReady profile data.

He served as a public defender at the Franklin County Public Defender's Office. He later worked as a staff attorney and supervising attorney in the DERR program at the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency.

Mentel went on to serve as chief legal officer at two corporate engineering firms and at a governmental solid waste authority known as SWACO, according to the court's website. He was also a partner at the law firm Taft, Stettinius & Hollister LLP, according to BallotReady.

During his years in private practice, Mentel was recognized in Best Lawyers in America for government law and in Chambers & Partners for environmental law, according to the court's website.

He also held elected office. Mentel served as a Columbus City Council member and council president before his appointment to the Tenth District Court of Appeals in February 2021.

On the issues

No policy positions or issue responses from Mentel were available in the materials reviewed for this profile.

Endorsements

Mentel has been endorsed by the following, according to BallotReady:

  • AFL-CIO

This profile was compiled from publicly available sources, including the Tenth District Court of Appeals website and BallotReady. No candidate questionnaire responses were available. Voters can find more information on the Tenth District Court of Appeals website.