Montgomery County Court of Common Pleas

Dayton's county trial court of general jurisdiction — felonies, major civil suits, and, through its divisions, family, juvenile, and estate matters.

Key facts

• Trial-court judges serve 6-year terms and appear on the general-election ballot without party labels (partisan primaries, nonpartisan November ballot; only the appellate and Supreme Court races carry party labels).
• On the 2026 ballot: six seats, four of them contested two-candidate races — including the Probate seat (Cassandra Rice vs. David Brannon) and the General Division seat held by Steve Abshire, a governor-appointed incumbent (filling retired Judge Dennis Adkins) who must win in November to keep it. Two seats are unopposed. A separate appointment filled a retired Juvenile judgeship now on the ballot.

Connections

• A contested bench, fitting a swing county — more competitive than the uncontested Franklin court, comparable to Cuyahoga's and Summit's. Part of Dayton 2026 Elections.