Judge Maria Santo

Elected Judge of the Hardin County Common Pleas Court Domestic Relations in 2023

Judge Santo was elected the first female judge in the Hardin County Common Pleas Court to the newly created Domestic Relations Division and began serving her term on January 1, 2023.

Judge Santo brings 34 years of legal experience to the bench and is licensed to practice law in the states of Ohio and New Jersey, the United States District Courts of Ohio and New Jersey, and the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals.

Prior to being elected, Judge Santo was the Magistrate in both the Juvenile and General Divisions of the Hardin County Common Pleas Court for 10 years.

Prior to being appointed Magistrate, Judge Santo served as an Assistant Hardin County Prosecuting Attorney for approximately 4 years, being the Chief Assistant Prosecutor for 2 ½ years.

Judge Santo engaged in private practice for 20 years as a trial and appellate attorney handling juvenile, domestic relations, criminal, and civil cases.

Judge Santo was also an Adjunct Staff Attorney at the Ohio Northern Legal Clinic in Lima for 2 years, supervising The Innocence Project and third year law students. She was a judicial law clerk at the Third District Court of Appeals in Lima for 2 ½ years.

Judge Santo earned a Juris Doctorate degree from Ohio Northern University Pettit College of Law in 1987 and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Seton Hall University in 1983.