HUBBARD — Shelley Pratt, a Trumbull County Common Pleas Court magistrate, has announced her candidacy to become the next judge of the county’s probate court in the 2026 election.

Current Probate Judge James Fredericka cannot run for reelection because of the state’s age limit law.

Pratt, a Republican who has served under Judge Sarah Kovoor since January, has 27 years in law, working for Northeast Ohio Legal Services before transitioning to the Ohio Public Defender’s office.

She began working for the Ashtabula County Prosecutor’s Office in 2005, handling issues before the 11th District Court of Appeals and the Ohio Supreme Court.

Pratt left the office in 2022 to work for the Columbiana County Prosecutor’s Office.

Using her experiences as a magistrate and prosecutor, Pratt said she plans to expand public access to the court, take a hands-on approach to the court’s role in adoptions, and work to protect vulnerable seniors, veterans and individuals facing mental health issues in the community.