Manisha Kotian

Why we endorsed Manisha

Manisha Kotian has spent more than 30 years in the law and much of it in the role of a neutral, working to make sure people are treated fairly. A significant part of her career has been serving as a mediator on the Postal Service's Equal Employment Opportunity cases, where her job was to ensure there were no violations based on race, religion, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, or disability. She calls that work a highlight of her career, and it shows in how she talks about the bench.

Her commitment to our community is direct. Kotian believes the measure of a society is how it treats its children and its most vulnerable, and she counts LGBTQ+ Ohioans among those our current moment has left exposed. She has represented LGBTQ+ clients through their divorces, has always run her practice to be inclusive and supportive, and says the principles of Obergefell shape her legal philosophy. To her, LGBTQ+ rights are human rights, and everyone who enters her courtroom deserves a fair trial free of bias.

Her record is deep and varied. She has represented children who are victims of abuse and neglect through the Legal Aid Society of Greater Cincinnati, served in AmeriCorps, done pro bono work, and for 20 years owned a union heavy-highway concrete company. She has never had a bar complaint, disciplinary action, or lawsuit filed against her. Her temperament is collaborative: she explains the process, gives people room to reach their own resolution, and when they cannot, she holds a fair trial. People come to agreement in her courtroom, she says, because they feel seen and heard. That is exactly the judge Hamilton County deserves.