Judge Wende Cross is running for reelection to the Hamilton County Common Pleas Court, General Division, in the Nov. 3, 2026, Ohio general election.

The race is nonpartisan.

Cross was elected to the bench in November 2020, according to the Ohio Black Judges Association. She has not responded to the Village Press candidate questionnaire.

Candidate information

  • Office sought: Hamilton County Common Pleas Court Judge, General Division (Term Commencing 2/12)
  • Party: Nonpartisan
  • Ballot status: Certified for the ballot
  • Education: Bachelor's degree in political science, Miami University (1988); juris doctor, Northern Kentucky University (1992)
  • Bar memberships: Ohio and Kentucky bars
  • Professional affiliations: Board of Trustees, Cincinnati Bar Association; CBA Professionalism Committee

Cross has listed affiliations with the Madisonville Community Council, Black Lawyers Association of Cincinnati, Impact 100, NAACP and Christ Emmanuel Christian Fellowship, according to her Judicial Votes Count candidate response.

Experience and public service

Cross began her legal career as an associate attorney at Landrum and Shouse LLP from 1992 to 1995, according to the Ohio Black Judges Association.

She then served as an assistant United States attorney in the Eastern District of Kentucky from 1995 to 2002. Cross moved to the same role in the Southern District of Ohio from 2002 to 2004, giving her federal prosecution experience in both states where she holds bar membership.

After her time as a federal prosecutor, Cross taught as an adjunct professor at Salmon P. Chase College of Law at Northern Kentucky University from 2004 to 2007, according to BallotReady profile data.

Cross went on to manage her own firms. She was managing partner at Cross, Smith & Associates Co., LPA from 2005 to 2008, then managing attorney at W.C. Cross Law, LLC from 2008 to 2012, according to BallotReady.

She served as a magistrate at Hamilton County Juvenile Court beginning in 2012 before winning election to the Common Pleas bench in 2020. Cross also serves on the Cincinnati Bar Association's Board of Trustees and its Professionalism Committee, according to the Ohio Black Judges Association.

Endorsements

Cross has received endorsements from the following, according to BallotReady profile data and Judicial Votes Count:

  • Equality Cincinnati PAC
  • AFL-CIO
  • Hamilton County Democratic Party

Editor's note: Cross did not respond to the Village Press candidate questionnaire. This profile is based on public records and reviewed third-party sources.