Here are the nine Summit County judicial winners for the Court of Common Pleas, Domestic Relations, Juvenile and Probate courts.

Judge of the Court of Common Pleas – term commencing 01/02/27

Tania Nemer

49.65 percent, 94,805 votes

Tammy O’Brien

50.35 percent, 96,144 votes

Judge of the Court of Common Pleas – term commencing 01/03/27

✓ Kelly L. McLaughlin

Judge of the Court of Common Pleas – term commencing 01/05/27

Alison McCarty

59.16 percent, 111,886 votes

Job Esau Perry

40.84 percent, 77,229 votes

Judge of the Court of Common Pleas – term commencing 01/06/27

Mary Margaret Rowlands

66.27 percent, 121,243 votes

Kate A. Makra

33.73 percent, 61,710 votes

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More Election 2026 results:

Judge of the Court of Common Pleas – term commencing 02/09/27

Christine L. Croce

46.74 percent, 87,671 votes

John Galonski

53.26 percent, 99,915 votes

Judge of the Court of Common Pleas – term commencing 05/11/27

Joy Malek Oldfield

68.12 percent, 127,066 votes

Joe Darwal

31.88 percent, 59,461 votes 

Domestic Relations judge

Domestic relations courts have jurisdiction over all proceedings involving divorce or dissolution of marriages, annulments, legal separations, spousal support, and allocation of parental rights and responsibilities for the care of children, including child support issues.

Katarina Cook

45.38 percent, 84,270 votes

Lisa Dean

54.62 percent, 101,417 votes

Juvenile Court judge

Juvenile courts hear cases involving persons under 18 years of age who are charged with acts that would be crimes if committed by an adult. They also hear cases involving unruly, dependent and neglected/abused children.

Juvenile courts have jurisdiction in cases involving paternity, child abuse, nonsupport, contributing to the delinquency of minors, and the failure to send children to school.

Amy Corrigall Jones

64.04 percent, 119,552 votes

David Lombardi

35.96 percent, 67,131 votes

Steve Elliott, chief magistrate of the Summit County Probate Court and a candidate for Summit County Probate Court Judge, talks with supporter and local attorney Lori Sandel during the Democratic watch party at the Knight Stage Nov. 3 in Akron.
Steve Elliott, chief magistrate of the Summit County Probate Court and a candidate for Summit County Probate Court Judge, talks with supporter and local attorney Lori Sandel during the Democratic watch party at the Knight Stage Nov. 3 in Akron. (Michael Francis McElroy / Signal Akron)

Probate Court judge

Description: Probate courts have the authority to issue marriage licenses, preside over adoption cases, guardianships and estates. They also preside over cases involving involuntary hospitalization for mental illness and hear certain eminent domain cases.

Steve Elliott

57.12 percent, 105,769 votes

Diana M. Stevenson

42.88 percent, 79,388 votes

Managing Editor (he/him)
Gary is returning to Akron after previously working at the Akron Beacon Journal as a sports reporter from 2003 to 2006. He is committed to delivering authoritative, trustworthy journalism that is accessible to everyone. Gary mostly recently worked as a newsroom leader in Clarksville (Tenn.), Murfreesboro (Tenn.) and Nashville, where he was the business, race and culture editor at The Tennessean. He is a native of New Orleans and a product of Southern University and A&M College. In his free time, you can find him cycling, playing paintball and smoking meats.