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Get to Know Your Judges

A community guide to the judges who make decisions about Cuyahoga County court cases, powered by Cleveland Documenters.

Been in court? Share your experience.

Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas General Division

The judges in this trial court oversee adult felony criminal cases and civil lawsuits involving more than $15,000. The court also has special dockets for people accused of crimes who have drug addictions, mental health issues, or are veterans.

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Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas Juvenile Division

Judges in the juvenile division handle cases where children are accused of crimes or being unruly. They also oversee cases where parents or caregivers are accused of child abuse and neglect, as well as custody cases involving unmarried parents.

Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas Domestic Relations

Domestic relations court judges oversee divorce, child custody and child support cases. They can also issue civil protection orders in domestic violence and stalking cases.

Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas Probate Division

Probate judges oversee wills and estates, issue marriage licenses, and can appoint legal guardians if a person is not competent to handle their own affairs. The head probate court judge also appoints members of the Cleveland Metroparks Board of Park Commissioners.

Ohio Eighth District Court of Appeals

Judges in the appeals court — one of 12 appellate courts in the state — review decisions from local courts made in criminal, civil, and administrative cases.

Ohio Supreme Court

Supreme Court judges sit on Ohio's highest court, making final decisions on appeals from lower courts, particularly cases that concern the public interest, constitutional questions, or involve death penalty appeals.

Learn more about judges:

Published on . Updated on .

If you have feedback, corrections or questions, we want to hear from you. Please use this form to share your thoughts with us. Your feedback is how we can ensure that this tool meets the needs of Clevelanders.

Judicial survey questions were submitted by community members. Candidate survey responses were lightly edited for consistent punctuation and clarity.

Information about judges and candidates was collected by Cleveland Documenters, Signal Cleveland, and The Marshall Project. Candidate names are presented as they will appear on the ballot.

Information sources include the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections, the Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court website, Judge4Yourself, Judicial Votes Count, current and past campaign websites, and news articles.

Credits

Clevelanders, community organizations, and Documenters all played a critical role in informing our process. We thank them for their generous time and feedback as we designed and developed this community tool.

Reporting and writing Mark Puente, Doug Livingston, Brittany Hailer, Dakotah Kennedy, Rachel Dissell

Profile editing Rachel Dissell, Phil Trexler

Copy editing Ghazala Irshad, Mary Ellen Huesken

Documenters Daniel McLaughlin, Karima McCree-Wilson, Barbara Phipps, Ayanna Rose Banks, Alyssa Holznagel, Ronaldo Rodriguez Jr., Tucker Handley, Emma Sedlak, Gennifer Harding-Gosnell

Illustrations John G

Product design and art direction Elan Kiderman Ullendorff

Additional art direction Jovelle Tamayo

Development and data processing Ryan Murphy, Gabe Isman, and Aithne Feay

Audience engagement Chris Vazquez, Ashley Dye, Camille Renner, Rachel Kincaid, Annaliese Griffin

Partnership and production Ruth Baldwin, Mara Corbett, Terri Troncale, Ebony Reed

Media outreach Nicole Funaro

Community outreach Louis Fields, Rachel Dissell

Community listening and collaborative design Rachel Dissell, Andrew Rodriguez Calderón, Ana Mendez, Nicole Lewis

Project editing and project management Jewél Jackson, Andrew Rodriguez Calderón, David Eads

Tags: →Cleveland Resources →Testify →Elections →Cuyahoga County, Ohio →Judges →Cleveland, Ohio
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