Pink Rose Society

Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas

Cleveland's county trial court of general jurisdiction — felonies, major civil suits, and, through its divisions, family and estate matters. Ohio's largest common pleas court by caseload.

Key facts

  • Trial-court judges serve 6-year terms and appear on the general-election ballot without party labels — a key distinction from the partisan appellate and Supreme Court races. (Candidates run in partisan primaries but the November ballot is nonpartisan.)
  • On the 2026 ballot: roughly nine General Division seats, two Domestic Relations seats, and two Probate seats. Unlike Franklin County, several are genuinely contested — about four General Division seats have two candidates (e.g. Vodrey vs. Clary, Dennie vs. Caruso), and one Domestic Relations seat is contested. Both Probate seats are unopposed.
  • No Juvenile Division seat is up in 2026.

Connections

Sources