Hon. Megan E. Shanahan

Hon. Megan E. Shanahan is a judge for the Hamilton County Court of Common Pleas (General Division) in Ohio. She was appointed to the bench by former Governor John Kasich on March 6, 2015 to fill the vacancy created by the Hon. Ralph E. Winkler after his election to the Hamilton County Court of Common Pleas Probate Division.

Prior to her appointment, Shanahan had presided as a judge for the Hamilton County Municipal Court, a position to which she was elected in 2011.

She received a B.A. in political science from Kent State University in 1995. SHanahan went on to complete a J.D. at the University of Cincinnati College of Law in 2000.

After graduating from law school, she began her legal career as an assistant prosecutor with the Butler county Prosecutor’s Office, where she served in the appellate, municipal, and trial divisions and prosecuted cases involving the violation of the obscenity law as well as child pornography cases. In 2005, Shanahan moved to the Hamilton County Prosecutor’s Office. During her tenure in that position, she prosecuted child predators and served in the Felony Trial Division.

Her legal career also included acting as a prosecutor for the Mt. Healthy Mayor’s Court.

Shanahan received the Peggy Caldwell Award ini 20009.

From a civic standpoint, she has been a supporter of the Cincinnati Living Hope organization which provides transitional housing or homeless women and children.

She was born and raised in western Pennsylvania, the youngest of eight children. At the time of her appointment, Shanahan and her family resided in Cincinnati.