26 New Probate Judges Coming to Ohio Courts

The coming months will have Ohio probate courts welcoming 26 new judges to their benches after Tuesday’s election saw two incumbents losing to newcomers and 24 elections with no incumbent running.

Incumbents Defeated (2): Hamilton County (Ralph Winkler lost to Elizabeth Tye) and Montgomery County (David Brannon lost to Cassandra Rice).

Incumbents Who Survived a Challenge (4): Licking County (Lang), Medina County (Dunn), Monroe County (Peters), Richland County (Badnell).

Contested Open Seats (7): Carroll County, Defiance County, Franklin County, Logan County, Lucas County, Summit County, Wood County.

Unopposed Newcomers (17): Ashtabula County, Clermont County, Crawford County, Cuyahoga County (one of its two seats), Erie County, Fayette County, Gallia County, Geauga County, Greene County, Highland County, Meigs County, Miami County, Perry County, Putnam County, Ross County, Trumbull County, and Vinton County.

It’s a Family Thing: Two retiring judges will be succeeded by their children - In Lucas County, Judge Jack Puffenberger’s son Tom won the open bench. In Defiance County, magistrate Erin Strausbaugh succeeds her father, Judge Jeffrey Strausbaugh. Also interesting that Logan County’s contest pitted two sisters-in-law against each other.

Big Counties Leading the Way: Ohio’s six largest counties (by population) - Franklin, Cuyahoga, Hamilton, Montgomery, Summit, and Lucas - will all have at least one new probate judge.

Standing on the Shoulders of Giants: Some long and prestigious judicial careers are coming to an end. Judge Puffenberger (Lucas County) has been on the bench for 36 years. Judge Luann Cooperrider (Perry County) was Perry’s first woman to serve as judge, and served the county well for nearly 36 years. Judge James A. Shriver (Clermont) County held the probate bench for 13 years and municipal bench for 18, for 31 years of total service. Judge McGookey (Erie County) served for approximately 30 years. Judge David Woessner (Wood County) was judge for about 28 years. Judge Elinor Marsh Stormer (Summit County) leaves her third bench (Municipal, Common Pleas General Division, and Common Pleas Probate Division) after a 35-year judicial career.

Other judges like Jeffrey A. Strausbaugh (Defiance County), Michael A. Borer (Putnam County), Timothy J. Grendell (Geauga County), Thomas M. O’Diam (Greene County), and Kevin H. Taylor (Van Wert County), all served their courts for more than a dozen years.

These and the others who are leaving their benches this winter have served our State and Bar well. We owe them a debt of gratitude.

Did we miss any long-serving jurists or other interesting stories from the election? Let us know.

As our new judges take their oaths in January and February, EstateAssist will be here to welcome them and keep up with the changes they make in putting their mark on their court. New judge’s names, local forms, and local rules will all be added to the platform as these men and women step into the big shoes they will fill. As importantly, we will continue to communicate with their courts to see how we can make the probate process and case pleadings as clear, professional, smooth, and efficient as possible for our users, their clients, and the families they serve.