Pink Rose Society

Franklin County Probate Court 2026

The only contested judgeship in Franklin County in 2026 — a rare partisan contest in a county judiciary where nearly every seat is decided in the primary or runs unopposed. The Probate Division of the Court of Common Pleas handles estates, guardianships, adoptions, marriage licenses, and civil commitments.

The matchup

  • Democratic: Kelly Green, a current Probate Court magistrate.
  • Republican: Chris Junga.
  • Open seat — longtime Probate Judge Jeffrey Mackey is retiring. Term commences February 9, 2027.
  • Green and Junga won partisan primaries (Democratic and Republican), but Common Pleas judges appear on the November ballot without party labels — Ohio's 2021 partisan-ballot law covers only the Supreme Court and courts of appeals, not trial courts. The partisan contrast is real but is not printed next to the names.

Why it matters

Set against the rest of the county's bench — where the appellate, General, and Domestic Relations seats are all unopposed Democrats — the Probate race is the one place a Franklin County voter's judicial choice actually decides an outcome. It is also a reminder of how much civic power sits in a court most voters never think about: probate judges control guardianships and involuntary commitments, decisions with real weight over vulnerable people.

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