Michael C. Mentel
Democratic · OH · Judge, Ohio Tenth District Court of Appeals
Judge on the Ohio Tenth District Court of Appeals since February 2021. He began as a public defender and spent much of his 32-year law career on environmental and energy law.
Where Michael C. Mentel stands, based on their records
Supports
Public Safety and Crime Control (1 record), Housing Affordability (1 record), Civil Rights (1 record)
Track record
Track record — Public Safety and Crime Control
Public Safety and Crime Control · 1 support
Mentel sponsored a Columbus ban on the sale and possession of defined assault weapons, with listed exceptions. City Council approved the ordinance.
July 11, 2005Supports Public Safety and Crime Control
Source: columbus.legistar.com
Track record — Housing Affordability
Housing Affordability · 1 support
Mentel co-sponsored a Columbus ordinance moving $20,000 to the mayor's office to create a homeless advocacy position. City Council approved it.
October 22, 2007Supports Housing Affordability
Source: columbus.legistar.com
Track record — Civil Rights
Civil Rights · 1 support
Mentel co-sponsored and voted for a Columbus resolution urging Ohio to ban discrimination based on sexual orientation. The council adopted it 7-0.
October 27, 2008Supports Civil Rights
Source: digital-collections.columbuslibrary.org
Track record — General
General · 12 records
The Columbus/Central Ohio Building and Construction Trades Council endorsed Mentel for the 2026 Tenth District Court of Appeals election.
July 24, 2026
Source: columbusconstruction.org
Mentel wrote an appeals opinion upholding a court-ordered sale of Columbus nuisance properties. The panel found the challenger lacked a legally recognized interest in the properties.
April 7, 2026
Source: supremecourt.ohio.gov
Mentel wrote an opinion denying a worker's request to overturn the state denial of permanent disability benefits. The court found evidence supported the agency's decision.
March 12, 2026
Source: supremecourt.ohio.gov
Mentel wrote an appeals opinion reviving a lawsuit over a breach of Ohio unemployment data. The court found the plaintiff had standing to sue and left the merits undecided.
July 24, 2025
Source: supremecourt.ohio.gov
Mentel wrote an appeals opinion upholding permanent custody of five children with Franklin County Children Services after their mother challenged the trial ruling.
April 17, 2025
Source: supremecourt.ohio.gov
Mentel wrote an appeals opinion restoring a family's wrongful-death lawsuit against Walgreens over opioid prescriptions. The court found a factual dispute and did not decide liability.
June 22, 2023
Source: supremecourt.ohio.gov
Mentel wrote an appeals opinion reversing a mother's loss of parental rights because the trial court relied on mistaken facts. The panel upheld a separate ruling about the father.
March 16, 2023
Source: supremecourt.ohio.gov
Mentel served on Homeport's board after joining in 2011. The central Ohio nonprofit works on affordable housing.
May 22, 2015
Source: homeportohio.org
Mentel sponsored a resolution backing SWACO's waste-disposal services and its use of tipping fees to fund the system. Columbus City Council adopted it.
October 19, 2009
Source: columbus.legistar.com
The Ohio Ethics Commission advised that Mentel was barred from city land-use matters involving his employer's work. It made no misconduct finding.
February 2, 2005
Source: ethics.ohio.gov
Mentel sponsored a Columbus ordinance allowing public recycling drop-off sites near community facilities while keeping screening and traffic rules. Council approved it.
October 27, 2003
Source: columbus.legistar.com
Mentel asked the Ohio Ethics Commission about council matters involving a client of his law firm. The commission said that relationship did not automatically bar him from voting, but some conflicts required him to step aside.
July 20, 1999
Source: ethics.ohio.gov
Track record — Legal Competence
Legal Competence · 4 favorable
Mentel joined an Ohio Supreme Court ruling that let an injured worker continue a compensation appeal already filed in court. He sat for a recused justice.
May 1, 2024Favorable on Legal Competence
Source: supremecourt.ohio.gov
Ohio court news reported that Mentel helped draft the state's Voluntary Action Program, which supports cleanups of polluted sites.
February 7, 2024Favorable on Legal Competence
Source: courtnewsohio.gov
Mentel was selected for the 2021 Best Lawyers list in government relations practice while working at Taft. His firm announced the recognition.
August 20, 2020Favorable on Legal Competence
Source: taftlaw.com
Mentel represented the Solid Waste Authority of Central Ohio as a friend of the court in a federal landfill case. The appeals court upheld South Carolina's county waste-routing law.
December 3, 2013Favorable on Legal Competence
Source: govinfo.gov
Past race Michael C. Mentel ran in:
- Judge of Court of Appeals 10th District - Full Term Commencing 02/09/2027 · November 3, 2026 · Franklin County, Ohio · incumbent