Behind the political appointment of a Summit County judge is a move by Republicans to let an old feud die. But as they seek to improve the party’s chances of winning, a new rift among leadership has taken shape.
With two years left on her six-year term, Judge Katarina Cook was elected in 2020 to replace retiring Judge John Quinn, a Democrat who held the second judge’s seat in the Summit County Domestic Relations Court. The move running for a job she already held gave Republicans the opportunity to appoint Cook’s replacement, which gave the party control of the entire court.