BELMONT COUNTY, Ohio — Judge Mark Hanni, a Republican serving on the Ohio 7th District Court of Appeals, is seeking a new four-year term on the court and says he is running on a record of reforms that took the court from last to first in the state in efficiency and productivity.
Hanni, who has served on the bench for three and a half years, sat down with River News Monday to discuss his background, his record, and why he believes he is the most qualified candidate in the race.
Hanni said he has a deep respect for the people of the Ohio Valley region. “A handshake still means something,” he said. “They’re just good people, old-fashioned people, and they believe in tradition. And I’m very traditional.”
The Seventh District Court of Appeals serves eight eastern Ohio counties: Belmont County, Carroll County, Columbiana County, Harrison County, Jefferson County, Mahoning County, Monroe County, and Noble County.
Background and Path to the Bench
Born and raised in Mahoning County, Hanni said his path to the law was anything but traditional. He graduated from military school, married young, raised four children as a single father, worked as a union laborer, ran an asphalt pavement company, and spent 16 years at the Mahoning County Board of Elections — 10 of those as deputy director.
“My father was an attorney and I hurt my back and he said go back to school,” Hanni recalled.
He attended Duquesne University School of Law in Pittsburgh, where he was a member of the law review, then practiced alongside his father before establishing his own firm. As a general practitioner for more than two decades, he said he represented over 6,000 clients across virtually every area of law — criminal cases from misdemeanors to high-level felonies, personal injury, employment, civil rights, and federal cases in both Ohio and Pennsylvania.
“I’m the most well-rounded, experienced lawyer that sits on that bench,” he said.
His children have all earned bachelor’s degrees, and his eldest son served four years in the Marine Corps. He has two grandchildren and a stepson and is married to Dawn Zinni-Hanni, Trumbull County Recorder.
Reforming a Court That Ranked Last in Ohio
When Hanni took the bench in February 2023, he said he quickly discovered the 7th District Court of Appeals had ranked last among Ohio’s 12 appellate districts in performance and efficiency for years — despite having one of the smallest dockets in the state.
“I did not know what disarray the 7th District Court of Appeals was in prior to me getting there,” he said.
He identified two practices he said were unacceptable. First, every third month the court held no hearings, designating it a writing month — a policy no other appellate district in Ohio had. Second, judicial staff had been working from home two to three days a week for roughly 20 years, a practice that predated COVID by two decades.
Hanni eliminated the writing month, adding 30 percent more hearing days annually, and required his staff to report to the courthouse five days a week. He said newly seated Judge Katelyn Dickie followed his lead, but that the chambers of retiring Judge Cheryl Waite remain largely closed, with a staff attorney working remotely from Columbus.
“I have never seen him at the court since I have taken office three years ago and have never met him,” Hanni said.
The reforms worked. According to statistics released annually by the Ohio Supreme Court, the 7th District Court of Appeals rose from last place to first place in statewide efficiency rankings in 2025. The turnaround was recognized by Senior Common Pleas Court Judge R. Scott Krichbaum.
“They were just not giving the people their money’s worth,” Hanni said. “Justice delayed is justice denied.”
His press release notes he has sat on more than 600 panels and authored more than 160 opinions for appellate cases — and has never been reversed. He was also appointed by Chief Justice Sharon Kennedy to serve as a Visiting Justice on the Ohio Supreme Court.
The Role of the Court
Hanni explained that for most Ohioans, the 7th District Court of Appeals is the last meaningful stop in the justice system. The Ohio Supreme Court accepts only about three to four percent of cases appealed to it, leaving district courts as the final word for the vast majority of litigants.
“Essentially the district courts, like the 7th District, is the last stop for somebody for justice,” he said. “If they feel they were wronged in the lower courts, or the lower court just didn’t get it right, or their rights were violated, we’re the last stop.”
The court hears all case types — criminal, civil, and traffic — arising from its eight-county region and is required to hear every case brought before it. The court handles more than 200 cases per year, with judges sitting in rotating three-judge panels.
Faith, Values, and Judicial Philosophy
Hanni described himself as a constitutionalist who views the law through the lens of his Christian faith. For more than 30 years he said he has attended daily Catholic Mass.
“I would listen to everybody, but they have to understand I look through the eyes of a conservative Christian — that’s how my views are focused,” he said. “I don’t legislate from the bench. I go by the law. But everybody will get their money’s worth with me.”
Hanni states he is pro-life, pro-family, pro-Second Amendment, pro-police funding, pro-border control, and pro-parental rights in education. He said teachers should teach, not promote agendas, and that standing firm in faith, values, and the rule of law has never been more important.
On his campaign signage, Hanni includes the phrases “Jesus is my Savior” and “Trump is my President,” saying the two together sum up his platform and values concisely.
“I agree with what he does. I don’t always agree with how he does it,” he said of President Trump. “But he gets his point across.”
The Race and His Opponent
Hanni is running for the seat being vacated by retiring Judge Cheryl Waite, a Democrat. He faces Republican primary challenger David “Chip” Comstock, whom he describes as a defense attorney for insurance companies who also works part-time prosecuting attorney grievances for the bar association.
Hanni disputed Comstock’s claims of appellate experience, saying his opponent’s work before a disciplinary tribunal is not the same as arguing before the Ohio Supreme Court — something Hanni said he has actually done as a Visiting Justice.
“He is disingenuous about his argument about arguing in front of the Supreme Court,” Hanni said. “He does not have a tenth of the experience I have.”
Hanni said Comstock has been a lawyer longer in years, but that age in the profession does not equal breadth of experience.
“I’ve represented twice if not three times more clients than he has,” Hanni said.
Endorsements and Community Service
Hanni has received endorsements from the Right to Life Action Coalition of Ohio, the Columbiana, Mahoning, Monroe, and Belmont County Republican Party chairs, sheriffs from Monroe, Noble, and Belmont counties, Bridgeport Fire Chief Melvin Roth Jr., Shadyside Mayor Mike Meintel, and the Buckeye Firearms Association, which awarded him an A rating.
In the community, Hanni coached junior high football for the Central Catholic Cardinals, volunteered as a coach at the YMCA, co-founded the Broadway Sober Living House to help rehabilitate addicts, and serves on the board of the St. Augustine Society, which is committed to housing, educating, and training young men who have aged out of foster care.
What’s Next
The Ohio Republican primary is May 5, with the top vote-getter advancing to the general election in November. Hanni said he is asking voters across the eight-county district to get out and support him.
“People need to be informed as much as they can before they vote,” he said.
“I reformed the court,” he said. “We are first in the state now, not last. Employees come to work, and everybody will get their money’s worth with me.”
