Order of Decorum
Upon consideration of the public and media interest, and in order to provide for orderly proceedings in all matters in this Court, the Court hereby enters the following Order.
Unless otherwise provided, this Order applies to the Trumbull County Family Court, and all grounds of the Trumbull County Family Court.
Unless otherwise provided, the terms "proceeding" and "proceedings" as used in this Order shall apply to all matters held in open Court to which the public is entitled to attend, including but not limited to pretrials, motion hearings, voir dire and/or trial (...click here to view full version)
Trumbull County Family Court...
This website is designed to give you general information on the main areas of responsibility of the Trumbull County Family Court. Family Court is broken down into the following areas: Court of Domestic Relations, Juvenile Court, and Juvenile Detention Center. This website is designed for informational purposes only and cannot be used to seek information regarding cases filed. To inquire or apply for assistance in any of the categories listed, call the Trumbull County Family Court at (330)675-2600.
The Trumbull County Family Court is run under the administration of the two(2) current elected Judges, Honorable Pamela A. Rintala, Administrative Judge and Honorable Sandra Stabile Harwood..
About Our Judges...
JUDGE PA
MELA RINTALA
Judge Pamela Rintala was first elected to the Trumbull County Family Court in 1994, becoming the first woman elected to the bench in Trumbull County Court of Common Pleas. She was re-elected in 2000 and again in 2006.
A graduate of Warren Western Reserve High School, Judge Rintala attended Kent State University where she obtained a B.A. Degree in Sociology. Following college, she became a social worker in Gallipolis, Ohio, returning to Trumbull County where she served as a detention counselor in the newly established Trumbull County Juvenile Justice Center. Judge Rintala was later promoted to the position of Juvenile Probation Officer during which time she attended law school in the evening at The University of Akron. Upon passing the bar, Judge Rintala practiced law, concentrating in family law issues. In 1988 Judge Peter Panagis hired her as a part-time Court Referee, a position she maintained until her election to the bench in 1994.
While serving, Judge Rintala has created the Solace Center, a supervised visitation center and a specialized docket Family Dependency Treatment Court. The Family Dependency Court handles cases of parents who are in danger of losing their children due to addiction to drugs or alcohol. In addition, Judge Rintala, in association with her colleague on the bench, Judge Richard James, has established a special projects fund to assist in the payment of Guardian Ad litems to represent the best interest of the children in cases that come before the Court.
Judge Rintala remains committed to the families of Trumbull County by providing fair access to the Court and ensuring that the children are provided for and protected.
JUDGE SANDRA STABILE HARWOOD
Judge Sandra Stabile Harwood was elected to the Trumbull County Court of Common Pleas Domestic/Juvenile Division in 2012. She received her Bachelor of Business Administration cum laude from Kent State University and her Juris Doctorate from the U
niversity of Akron. Judge Harwood is also a graduate of the Fellowship Program of the Bowhay Institute for Legislative Leadership at the Robert M. LaFollette School of Public Affairs, University of Wisconsin. She was admitted to the Ohio Bar in 1991 and in 2004 admitted to practice before the Supreme Court of the United States of America. Her twenty-plus years in private practice focused primarily on family law.
Judge Stabile Harwood served four consecutive terms in the Ohio House of Representatives until term limited in 2010. She earned the distinct honor to serve as the first woman to chair the Ohio House Judiciary Committee. Her passion for protecting families and children led her to a decade of service for the Trumbull County Child Support Enforcement Agency where she served as In-House Counsel, Chief Administrative Hearing Officer. She remains committed to the integrity of the judiciary and serving the families of Trumbull County, Ohio.
Judge Stabile Harwood oversaw the creation and certification by the Ohio Supreme Court of a specialized docket for the Trumbull County Juvenile Drug Court and serves as Judge over the specialized docket as well as chair the court’s advisory committee. In addition, she currently serves on the Ohio Judicial Conference Legislative Committee, the Domestic Relations Law and Procedure Committee, and the Juvenile Law and Procedure Committee. She previously served as Chair of the Trumbull County Board of Elections, Ohio’s State Director for the National Foundation of Women Legislators as well as President of the Ohio Family Support Association. Judge Stabile Harwood has been the recipient of several awards and recognition for her work on behalf of children and families of Ohio. In addition, she had the honor of being chosen as Legislator of the Year in 2005 by Ohio’s CSEA’s Director’s Association and the Breast Cancer Hero Award from the Ohio Breast Cancer Coalition.