Melody Stewart, a Democratic appeals court judge from Cuyahoga County, would be the first black woma

COLUMBUS, Ohio - Eighth District Court of Appeals Judge Melody J. Stewart of Cleveland is running for the Ohio Supreme Court as a Democrat, according to her campaign manager.

Stewart, who has served on the appeals court since 2006, has a bachelor's degree at the University of Cincinnati's College-Conservatory of Music, a law degree from Cleveland Marshall, and a Ph.D. at Case Western Reserve University's Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences.

"Her experience makes her ultimately qualified for the Supreme Court," said her campaign manager, Ernie Davis.

If elected, Stewart would be the first black woman ever elected to the state's high court (and the second black woman to serve on the court after Yvette McGee Brown, who was appointed in 2010).