Recently-Elected Judge to Take Seat Early

By Csaba Sukosd | December 10, 2020

Image of a smiling woman with long, blond hair, wearing a red blouse

Magistrate and Judge-Elect Karen K. Gallagher

Karen K. Gallagher will begin her Williams County judgeship weeks ahead of schedule after she was appointed by Gov. Mike DeWine.

Gallagher, of Bryan, will assume office on Dec. 31, and she’ll begin a full-term beginning Feb. 9, 2021. She won the vacant seat for the probate and juvenile court unopposed in the November election to replace retiring Judge Steven R. Bird.

Gallagher has served as a magistrate with Williams County Common Pleas Court since May 2016. Prior to then, she practiced as a private attorney.

She earned her bachelor's degree from Bowling Green State University and her law degree from the University of Toledo College of Law.