Login | May 06, 2025
Meet 7th District Court of Appeals Judge Mark A. Hanni
SHERRY KARABIN
Legal News Reporter
Published: March 30, 2023
The son of a well-known criminal defense attorney, judge and former longtime chair of the Mahoning County Democratic Party, Mark A. Hanni was exposed to the legal profession and its accompanying challenges as a child.
“My father, Don L. Hanni Jr. was a lawyer for over 50 years, served on the Youngstown Municipal Court bench and chaired the Democratic Party for many years,” said Hanni.
“He dealt with lawsuits and all types of cases, so I became intrigued by the law early on.”
As it turned out, Hanni not only went on to practice alongside his father, but he also decided to run for judge.
He made two unsuccessful bids for office, but last year was an entirely different story, with Hanni unseating his Democratic opponent longtime 7th District Court of Appeals Judge Gene Donofrio, who retired at the end of January.
“I ran for judge to protect people’s rights,” said Judge Hanni, who took the bench on Feb. 9, after being sworn in by Ohio Supreme Court Justice Patrick Fischer. “I want to make sure the Constitution is followed and not legislated from the bench.
“I ran for the 7th District as a Democrat in 2012 and lost by less than 2 percentage points. I then ran as an Independent for Youngstown Municipal Court judge.
“In 2016, I became a Republican because the Democratic Party had become too liberal for me,” said Judge Hanni.
“For decades, the 7th District has been under Democratic control, now it’s a 2-2 split,” said Judge Hanni.
Dave Johnson, chairman of the Columbiana County Republican Party, said Judge Hanni ran a very personal campaign which included visiting all eight counties within the court’s jurisdiction.
“I’ve known Mark for many years so when he came to me and said he was seriously considering running for judge, the party was happy to support him,” said Johnson.
“We’re confident that as a judge, he will be respectful of precedent and not legislate from the bench,” said Johnson. “We believe he will carefully examine each individual case and make the right decision.”
Seventh District Court of Appeals Presiding/Administrative Judge David A. D’Apolito said Judge Hanni “hit the ground running,” handling a number of hearings within the first six weeks.
“Judge Hanni came to court prepared and knew the cases,” said Judge D’Apolito, who has known Judge Hanni for over 20 years.
“He appeared in front of me many times when I served as a county court judge in Austintown,” said Judge D’Apolito. “As an attorney, he was always well prepared, respectful to the court and represented his clients very well.
“I believe the court and the people in its district will be very well served by Judge Hanni.”
A native of Youngstown, Judge Hanni attended Wentworth Military Academy and College from 1976 to 1977.
He received his bachelor’s degree from Youngstown State University, where he majored in business administration.
For many years, Judge Hanni served as the Democrat deputy director of the Mahoning County Board of Elections.
After earning his juris doctorate from the Duquesne University Law School in Pittsburgh, he started his own practice, sharing office space with his father in downtown Youngstown.
After his father passed away in 2008, he moved his office to Boardman Township.
“Most of my work involved criminal defense law, but I also handled some civil, personal injury and civil rights cases,” said Judge Hanni.
Over the years, he’s owned a number of businesses, including Mark Vote, which conducted union elections for several groups, including the Teamsters, carpenters and musicians.
He currently owns the real estate management company M&H Properties, which he started in 1987.
A longtime member of the Ohio State Bar Association, Judge Hanni is also currently on the board of the nonprofit St. Augustine Society and is a 50-year member of the YMCA, where he’s served in many different capacities.
In addition, he is a member of the Knights of Columbus, the Freemasons Wick Lodge No. 481, the Buckeye Firearms Association and the National Rifle Association.
Judge Hanni is also a former football coach for the Central Catholic Cardinals (seventh and eighth grades).
The father of four adult children and grandfather of two said he brings a different perspective to the appellate bench.
“The other judges are former judges or prosecutors,” said Judge Hanni. “I bring a criminal defense attorney’s point of view to the court.”
When he’s not on the bench, Judge Hanni said he plans to visit as many high schools as possible in the court’s eight-county district.
“I want to educate students on the role that appellate courts play in the justice system,” said Judge Hanni. “I think there’s a misconception that we are trial courts, but our role is reviewing lower court decisions to see if they are constitutional.”
Judge Hanni turns 65 in September and will be ineligible to run again at the end of his six-year term because of his age.
However, he is considering running prior to the end of his term for the seat being vacated by 7th District Court of Appeals Judge Carol Ann Robb.
“I want to serve as judge of the 7th District Court of Appeals with honor and integrity for as long as possible,” said Judge Hanni.