Administrative Judge

Administrative Judge Katarina Cook is a proud resident of Summit County and product of the Akron Public Schools. She graduated from Firestone High School in 1982 and went on to earn dual Bachelor of Arts Degrees in both Psychology and History. Judge Cook earned her Juris Doctorate from The University of Akron School of Law in 1990 and was admitted to the Ohio Bar that same year. Read More…

Judge

Presiding Judge for Common Pleas

Judge Kani Harvey Hightower was elected as a Summit County Domestic Relations Court Judge on November 8, 2022. She currently also serves as the Common Pleas Court Presiding Judge for Summit County. Read More…

ABOUT THE COURT

The Summit County Domestic Relations Court serves residents of Summit County, Ohio.  The court’s jurisdiction includes:

  • Cases involving divorce, dissolution, and annulment;
  • Parentage cases (never married parents), third-party legal custody, and visitation for parents, grandparents, and third-parties;
  • Child support;
  • Civil protection and dating violence orders.

Read more about the court.

Civil Protection Orders

What is a Domestic Violence Civil Protection Order (“CPO”)?

A CPO is issued by a domestic relations court to protect a victim of domestic violence. A CPO is intended to prevent further domestic violence. It orders someone who has been abusive to do or not do certain things in the future.

To find out more about CPOs, how to serve (notify) the respondent, and how to prepare click “Find Out More”

Contact Us

The Summit County Domestic Relations Court is open from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Summit County Domestic Relations Court
205 S. High Street
Akron, Ohio 44308

A guide to parking can be found here. Or a printable PDF Here.

 

Phone: (330) 643-2365

Settlement Week — Win-Win

Children and Family Leadership Exchange – Panel Discussion

Thank you to the Child and Family Leadership Exchange, and to everyone who came out to be part of the conversation. Administrative Judge Katarina Cook and Judge Kani Hightower spoke with the group about the work of the Summit County Domestic Relations Court and the...

OWBA Award

We are proud to share that the Honorable Katarina Cook, Administrative Judge of the Summit County Domestic Relations Court, has been named the 2026 recipient of the Ohio Women's Bar Associatiion's Government in Action Award! This award honors women in public service...

Arts Forward

Arts Forward Grantee Spotlight "At court, everybody's nervous. This was a place where I wanted us to also have artwork where people could look and not think about all the other things that were going on in their lives that they can't control. The problem was trying to...

America 250 – Courthouse Tour

Your invited to the America 250 Tour of the Summit County Common Pleas Court on Thursday August 6th from 4-6pm. Check out the great clip produced by Akron Hip Hop.com featuring many of the Judges at Summit County Courthouse explain what they do including...

Child life specialist helps kids cope during divorces

The wait is over. The Court is excited to share the newest member of the team: Gracie Nielsen! As a Certified Child Life Specialist Gracie will lead the Children And Parents Empowered (CAPE) Program. Through the vision of Administrative Judge Katarina Cook, CAPE will...

#WearBlue

💙 Yesterday we wore #WearBlue for Child Abuse Prevention Month. The blue ribbon is the national symbol of child abuse awareness — a reminder of the bruises left on children who need our protection and voices who cannot yet speak for themselves. At the Summit County...