First female Clark County Common Pleas judge sworn in

Former Clark County magistrate Katrine Lancaster was sworn in as a judge at the Juvenile Court on Wednesday, becoming the first female common pleas court judge in the county’s history.

At the swearing-in, Lancaster was introduced by Domestic Relations Court Judge Thomas J. Capper.

“There is no question in my mind that Katrine Lancaster is the most qualified person for this position in this county,” he said.

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Lancaster, elected to a six-year term, thanked her community, friends, family and other public officials.

“I am fortunate to be able to work with such a dedicated and experienced group of professionals,” Lancaster said. “I promise to be fair, open minded, and to respect that we are all part of the same team with a common goal.”

Lancaster has served Clark County for the past 26 years. Her career started as a trial attorney for the Department of Job and Family Services. She also worked as a legal coordinator and assistant deputy director for the agency. She most recently served as a magistrate since 2000.

During her candidacy for juvenile court judge, Lancaster ran against incumbent Judge Robert Vaughn, winning 55 percent of the vote. She said the election allowed her to better connect with the community she serves.

“I’ve learned how diverse we are as a county — from city to county — the good work of so many organizations and the vast amount of activity that goes on in the county,” she said.

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Lancaster said there are three components to success: prevention, intervention, and retention.

“In the next six years, those are the goals that we are going to keep in mind,” she said.

She concluded by encouraging the community to positively change a child’s life.

“One of the members of the juvenile court here once told me that it only takes one community to design the perfect system — and why can’t that be Clark County,” she said.

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