Prosecutor Dismisses Felony Claims Against DeWine, Deters

A special prosecutor found no merit in a former juvenile judge's allegations that two Ohio Supreme Court justices secured private contracts for family members.

Updated on Nov. 13, 2026 in Criminal Justice

Prosecutor Dismisses Felony Claims Against DeWine, Deters

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Special prosecutor Mike Gmoser dismissed felony allegations against Ohio Supreme Court Justices Pat DeWine and Joe Deters, concluding the claims are without merit and no arrest or prosecution will take place. The allegations were made in a felony affidavit filed by former Hamilton County Juvenile Court Judge Tracie Hunter.

Why it matters

The ruling closes a case that centered on an alleged conflict involving a 2017 internship request and a claimed unlawful interest in a public contract, and it reflects a special prosecutor's finding about the motives behind the filing. For Ohio residents, it concludes a dispute that touched on the conduct of the state's highest court.

The special prosecutor, Butler County Prosecutor Mike Gmoser, determined the felony affidavit filed by Tracie Hunter does not warrant arrest or prosecution. Hunter served 75 days in jail in 2020 for her earlier conviction, and the source does not indicate whether the dismissal will be challenged.

The players

Pat DeWine

Pat DeWine is a Chief Justice of the Ohio Supreme Court and the former Hamilton County judge whose 2017 email was cited in the allegations.

Joe Deters

Joe Deters is an Ohio Supreme Court justice who served as Hamilton County Prosecutor and received the 2017 email at the center of the allegations.

Tracie Hunter

Tracie Hunter is a former Hamilton County Juvenile Court judge who was removed from the bench in 2014 after a conviction and later filed the felony affidavit.

Mike Gmoser

Mike Gmoser is the Butler County Prosecutor who served as special prosecutor and concluded the allegations were without merit.

The details

Hunter's affidavit alleges that Justices DeWine and Deters secured private contracts for family members and that Patrick DeWine violated Ohio law by holding an unlawful interest in a public contract, based on a 2017 email requesting an internship for his son. A judge reviewed the affidavit in response to a motion to dismiss filed by the justices, and Gmoser concluded Hunter's motivation was revenge.

2014: Hunter was found guilty of violating the same public-contract law and removed from the bench by the Ohio Supreme Court.
2017: An email requesting an internship for Patrick DeWine's son was sent to Joe Deters.
2019: Hunter was dragged out of a courtroom after her final appeal failed.
2020: Hunter served 75 days in jail for her conviction.
2025: Hunter filed the felony affidavit against the two justices.

Legal Context

The dismissal arrives after Hunter's 2014 conviction under the same Ohio public-contract law, which led to her removal from the bench. The special prosecutor's ruling places the new allegations in the context of that earlier prosecution of the same former judge.

For Ohio residents, the dismissal means no criminal case will proceed against the two justices on these claims. Anyone following the state's judicial oversight can review the special prosecutor's determination as the official record of the matter.

The takeaway

A special prosecutor's written determination can resolve a felony allegation without a trial, but the underlying dispute over the 2017 email and the claimed contracts is now settled only at the level of that finding. Readers tracking judicial ethics in Ohio should note that the ruling reflects one prosecutor's assessment of motive and merit.