Login | April 03, 2026
Common Pleas Court Presiding and Admin. judges discuss their 2026 agendas
SHERRY KARABIN
Legal News Reporter
Published: April 3, 2026
When the judges in all four divisions of the Summit County Common Pleas Court unanimously elected Domestic Relations Court Judge Kani Harvey Hightower as presiding judge for the second consecutive year, Judge Hightower welcomed the challenge.
“It means a lot to me that they trust me to continue to serve in this important role,” said Judge Hightower.
During her first term as presiding judge, she spent much of her time working with county and Akron officials and other local partners to make the common pleas court more accessible to the public, while organizing and launching the first-ever State of the County Courts Address.
The address was held last October in conjunction with the Akron Bar Association Bench-Bar Conference and was well attended by legal professionals and the public.
“It included a report from judges in each of the four court divisions, including statistical information about the type, number and completion of cases, as well as many of the programs that we offer,” said Judge Hightower. “Because we are a branch of government, we are not allowed to openly discuss much of what we do with the media, so it was very enlightening for everyone who attended.”
It’s now an annual event and is one of the projects that Judge Hightower will continue to focus on during her second term as presiding judge of the common pleas court.
“The State of the County Courts Address is part of my overall effort to increase transparency in the justice system,” she said.
In addition, Judge Hightower continues to prioritize expanding parking around the courthouse, including ADA-accessible spots. She also wants new signage installed to help the public locate the parking and the court’s services once they arrive.
“Since 2024, I have been working with Akron City Mayor Shammas Malik’s Administration and other officials to provide additional parking and signage,” said Judge Hightower. “The mayor has recently committed to doing so, but we don’t have an exact timeline just yet--hopefully soon.”
Judge Hightower is also collaborating with her fellow judges to develop policies and protocols for emergency situations like blizzards.
“One of the ideas is to allow virtual court sessions,” said Judge Hightower. “We had a weather-related closure this year, and that is when we realized there was no policy or rules in place as to how to handle things since the advent of virtual options such as Zoom.”
Among those she will be working with closely is Summit County Common Pleas Court Judge Alison McCarty, who is serving as administrative judge for the third year in a row.
“We have a lot going on at the court this year, and I enjoy being a part of it and seeing the positive movement,” said Judge McCarty.
In addition to overseeing the day-to-day operations of the court, the administrative judge handles all court-wide personnel issues, which is an area Judge McCarty plans to focus on again this year.
“We recently added a fiscal officer position to create some important fiscal policies and procedures and help us keep up with accurately monitoring our grant funding and contracts,” said Judge McCarty. “We also hired a replacement for our retiring fiscal support specialist.
“We brought in a new human resources director as well,” said Judge McCarty.
Last year, Nicole Quester was hired to fill the vacancy created by longtime Court Executive Officer Bob Gainer’s retirement.
Former Youngstown Municipal Court Administrator Dave Magura also joined the court as the new assistant court executive officer, replacing Ken Teleis.
“We’ve had a lot of staff movement internally as well,” said Judge McCarty. “We recently received funding to hire six more probation officers, who will have to be trained.”
Outside of personnel issues, Judge McCarty will be overseeing the implementation of a new probation department case management system.
“We are very excited to implement this new system, which will streamline and organize the probation officers’ note-taking into a much more user-friendly process thereby making their jobs easier,” Judge McCarty said.
Additionally, Judge McCarty is working with her fellow judges and other court employees to plan a large open house event that will take place in July in honor of the country’s 250th anniversary.
“We look forward to sharing our beautiful courthouse with the community,” Judge McCarty said.
Born in Akron, Judge McCarty is the longest-serving judge on the Summit County Common Pleas General Division bench and is one of three judges to preside over a Reentry court docket, which she has done for approximately 15 years.
She received her bachelor’s degree in English from Wheaton College in Illinois and earned her juris doctor from Wake Forest University School of Law in North Carolina in 1987.
Judge McCarty began her career as a law clerk to Summit County Probate Court Judge Bill Spicer, moving to the 9th District Court of Appeals, where she was a staff attorney for Judge William Baird.
In 1989, Judge McCarty became an assistant prosecutor in the Summit County Prosecutor’s Office.
“During my time in the office, I successfully handled many high-profile and sensitive matters, including murders, rapes and child assault cases,” she said.
After ten years as an assistant prosecutor, she was appointed to the Akron Municipal Court bench in May 1999. She was elected to the seat later that year and re-elected in 2005.
During her time at Akron Municipal Court, she served one term as administrative/presiding judge and presided over the drug court (now recovery court). She also founded and presided over the OVI court, which was renamed ARCH (Active Recovery Creates Hope) Court. Both are now specialized dockets.
Judge McCarty was elected to the common pleas court in 2008. She’s currently running for re-election to her fourth term.
A longtime member of the Akron Bar Association, Judge McCarty has chaired several committees including serving 15 years as chair of the high school Mock Trial committee, for which she was twice honored by the bar association as “Outstanding Committee Chair of the Year.”
Judge McCarty and her husband, attorney Thomas McCarty, who served on the Akron Municipal Court bench, have been married for 36 years and have two adult daughters.
“My main goal as administrative judge is to ensure we are fully staffed with competent and well-trained employees so the court can perform as efficiently as possible in handling the caseload,” said Judge McCarty. “Our caseload is very heavy when compared with other courts across the state.
“Staffing can be challenging since it can be difficult to keep morale up,” she said. “We work in a stressful environment with people who are often at a crisis moment in their lives. We need to make sure our staff has the support to properly react and problem solve, while not becoming too stressed themselves.”
In an effort to promote employee cohesiveness, Judge McCarty launched the court’s annual retreat program in 2024.
“Last year we focused on employee wellbeing and team building,” said Judge McCarty. “The retreat was held at the Sheraton Suites Akron Cuyahoga Falls. It included classes on crisis de-escalation and mindfulness. We also provided comprehensive information to employees on the benefits of working for the county.
“This year’s retreat will focus on leadership skills,” said Judge McCarty. “The retreat is part of an overall effort to keep our employees productive and happy. I’m very honored to be leading the court, and I take my responsibility to care for the wellbeing of our employees very seriously.”
In Judge Hightower’s case, she grew up in Stow and earned her bachelor’s degree in English with a concentration in paralegal studies from Kent State University.
As an undergraduate, she was appointed clerk of council for the city of Aurora, earning the designation of certified municipal clerk.
While at The University of Akron School of Law, she started working as a senior paralegal and law clerk at Lynda Harvey Williams & Associates, the firm that her mother founded.
She was hired as an associate after she graduated in 2008. Around the same time Judge Hightower became a senior lecturer at Akron Law.
From January 2009 through 2019 she was an adjunct professor at the law school, a position she resumed in August 2023.
She continues to teach Family Law Practice and Procedure, a law course she developed to assist soon-to-be lawyers with the complexities of family law practice.
Prior to taking the Summit County Domestic Relations Court bench in January 2023, she served as a part-time Akron Municipal Court magistrate.
“During my time on the Domestic Relations Court, I have had an opportunity to help reduce the trauma of divorce on families by encouraging parents to communicate and not place children in the middle of their struggles,” said Judge Hightower.
“This will help the children’s positive growth in the future.”
In February Judge Hightower and Summit County Probate Court Judge Elinore Marsh Stormer joined hands to sponsor “Black History in Our Courts,” which recognized the legacy of Black judges in Summit County and local civil rights history.
“I presented information and moderated a panel discussion,” said Judge Hightower.
“The program is something that was near and dear to my heart,” said Judge Hightower. “As an African American judge, it is so important to raise awareness about the positive impact that African Americans have had on the local court system.”
“I have known Judge Hightower for many years,” said Judge Stormer. “She brings a fresh perspective to court outreach by fostering educational opportunities for the public like this panel for Black History Month.
“It’s an old saw that if we don’t understand the past, we are doomed to repeat it. Even though the modern civil rights movement has a short history it is important to remember how difficult it was for the pioneers in the 1950s and 1960s, and honestly how far we have come.
“I admire Judge Hightower’s willingness to facilitate this conversation,” said Judge Stormer.
A member of the Akron and Ohio State bar associations, Judge Hightower has served on the Akron Bar Association Board of Directors. She is also an Akron Bar Foundation fellow and a fellow of the Ohio State Bar Foundation.
Judge Hightower previously served as an Akron Bar Association Character & Fitness interviewer and is a member of the Bench-Bar committee and Family Law section.
She has also chaired the Akron Bar Association Juvenile Court Committee and is a former member of the Grievance Investigative subcommittee and the Commission on Judicial Candidates.
Additionally, Judge Hightower is a member of the Akron-Canton Barristers and Ohio Black Judges associations and previously served as the District 9 trustee for the Ohio Women’s Bar Association, where she continues to be a member.
She is also a member of Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority Inc. and a former member of Jack and Jill of America Inc.’s Akron Chapter.
Most recently, she joined the board of the Sickle Cell Adult Network of Ohio.
Outside of the court, Judge Hightower has been working with community partners such as NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness), the ADM (Alcohol, Drug Addiction & Mental Health Services) Board and Akron Children’s Hospital to help raise awareness and educate the public, especially young people, about mental health issues.
Together they have organized MayDay for Mental Health Awareness, a symposium for suicide prevention to be held on May 1 at the Akron-Summit County Public Library.
“Summit County has been plagued with a significant amount of suicides, especially among teens and African Americans,” she said. “I hope to help raise awareness for at-risk groups, parents and supporters with this event.”