Sen. Nathan Manning to Join Ohio Ninth District Court of Appeals

Gov. Mike DeWine appointed state Sen. Nathan Manning (R–North Ridgeville) to the Ohio Ninth District Court of Appeals. Manning is scheduled to begin on Aug. 3 and will vacate his Senate seat. He replaces Judge Donna Carr, who retired after 28 years on the court. Manning must win a special election in November to serve the remaining two years of Carr’s six-year term.

Manning was first elected to the Ohio Senate in 2018. He was in the final year allowed under Ohio’s term limits for the Senate and had planned to run for a seat in the Ohio House of Representatives. He won the Republican primary unopposed and was set to face Democrat Mike Baker in November, but he will abandon that House bid to pursue the judgeship.

In the Senate, Manning chaired the Select Committee on Gaming and sponsored Senate Bill 197, a proposal to legalize online casino games, which has not advanced out of committee. His departure will require Senate President Rob McColley to appoint a new chair. Sen. Mark Romanchuk serves as vice chair of the committee; other Republican members include Theresa Gavarone, Bill Reineke and Jane Timken.

Efforts to change Ohio’s gambling laws have stalled in recent years. The governor has expressed reservations about expanding sports betting, and several lawmakers have proposed eliminating online sports betting. Ohio’s sports betting market generated more than $209 million in 2025.

DeWine and Manning are both in the final year of their current terms. Voters will elect a new governor in November, who will make appointments to the Ohio Casino Control Commission. Three of the commission’s seven seats expire next year, with two more expiring in 2029 and two in 2030.

Manning’s Senate vacancy will be filled under state law and GOP Senate rules until the November special election. Senate President McColley and Republican leaders will manage committee assignments and the transition while Manning prepares to take his seat on the Ninth District Court of Appeals on Aug. 3.