On February 9, 2026, YourOhioNews reported that Common Pleas Judge Elizabeth Lehigh Thomakos retired from her position in Tuscarawas County after 27 years of service, effective February 1.
Thomakos was the first female judge in the general trial division in Tuscarawas County. She was originally elected in 1998 at the age of 35, approximately a decade after completing law school.
A Tuscarawas County native, she graduated from Tuscarawas Central Catholic High School. Her father, Daniel T. Lehigh, was an attorney with a practice in New Philadelphia, where Thomakos began working at age 15. She initially studied dance at Stephens College in Columbia, Missouri, before transitioning to communications and journalism and becoming the editor of the school paper. A lecture by Pat Carbine, a founder of Ms. magazine, influenced her decision to pursue law.
After graduating from Stephens College, she attended law school at the University of Akron, where she met her husband, Steven, who was also a law student. She graduated in January 1987, took the bar exam in February, and married Steven three weeks later.
After graduation, Steven worked for the public defender’s office in Canton, while Thomakos joined her father’s law firm. She later formed a partnership with Nanette DeGarmo, now Judge Nanette DeGarmo VonAllman of New Philadelphia Municipal Court.
In 1995, Thomakos served on a federal judicial selection committee by invitation of Ohio Attorney General Anthony Celebrezze. She was elected as judge on November 3, 1998, with 51% of the vote. During her time on the bench, she helped establish a mediation program for civil cases and a Drug Court program in 2005 to promote rehabilitation and reduce recidivism among drug-dependent offenders. 410 people have participated in Drug Court, with 183 having graduated.
Gov. Mike DeWine will appoint Thomakos’ replacement, with Edward O’Farrell filling in as judge in the interim. In retirement, she plans to participate in productions at the Little Theatre of Tuscarawas County and spend time with her children and grandchildren.
Source: YourOhioNews
