Gov. Mike DeWine has picked Highland Heights attorney Pamela A. Hawkins to fill an open seat on the Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas, Domestic Relations Division, stepping into a court that has been through the wringer in recent months. Hawkins is scheduled to take the bench on May 4, 2026, to finish out the term and will have to run in the November 2026 general election if she wants to keep the job.
The governor’s office announced the appointment on April 17, 2026, according to Cleveland.com, which reports that DeWine named Hawkins to the domestic relations bench to fill the vacancy created by former Judge Leslie Ann Celebrezze’s resignation in December.
Hawkins’s résumé covers a lot of ground. She holds a B.A. in child development and psychology from Harding University, a master’s in education from Cleveland State University, a master’s in social administration from Case Western Reserve University, and a J.D. from Cleveland–Marshall College of Law. Her legal career has included a 2001 pro bono fellowship at Applewood Centers, private practice, litigation-support work and, beginning in 2010, service as an assistant Cuyahoga County prosecutor in the Children & Family Services unit, according to her judicial biography on Judicial Votes Count.
Why She’s Stepping Into A Bruised Bench
Hawkins is inheriting a domestic relations docket that is still shaking off the fallout from Celebrezze’s conduct on the bench. The Ohio Supreme Court found that Celebrezze repeatedly sidestepped required random case assignments and suspended her law license for two years, with one year stayed, in January 2026, according to Court News Ohio. She then pleaded guilty to a felony tampering with records charge in February 2026, as reported by Ideastream Public Media.
Next Steps
Hawkins is set to be sworn in on May 4. To remain on the bench, she will have to appear on the ballot in the Nov. 3, 2026 general election, with deadlines and details laid out by the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections.
Local attorneys and court watchers say the domestic relations court will need calm, consistent leadership after months of intense public scrutiny, and Hawkins’s academic and professional focus on child development and family services is likely to be front and center as she takes on custody and juvenile cases. Her biography and campaign materials highlight long-standing work with vulnerable children and families, a theme underscored in her profile on Judicial Votes Count.
