| Hamilton County, Ohio – Ohio Governor Mike DeWine today announced the appointment of Bertha Garcia Helmick to the Hamilton County Municipal Court. Garcia Helmick, of Cincinnati, will assume office on April 9, 2021, and will be replacing Judge Alan C. Triggs, who was elected to a different bench. Garcia Helmick will need to run for election in November 2021 to complete the unexpired term ending January 2, 2024. Appointed in March 2020, Garcia Helmick is the first woman of Hispanic descent to serve as Magistrate of the Hamilton County Probate Court. Sitting in its Mental Heart Court, she has handled nearly 1,000 hearings and motions for hearings over the last year. As a private practicing attorney since 1995, she has represented individuals facing involuntary commitment and focused on various subject areas, including collaborative family law, domestic relations and juvenile law, and estate planning. The Hamilton County GOP Judicial Screening Committee submitted Judge Garcia Helmick, along with two others, to the Governor earlier this year for a possible appointment to fill a judicial vacancy. Alex M. Triantafilou, the Chairman of the Hamilton County GOP said In a statement released this morning, “Bertha Garcia Helmick is no stranger to the Hamilton County GOP and I am thrilled to see her ascend to this important community position. I know Judge Garcia Helmick as I have appeared in front of her many times and she is a person of high character, deep intellect, and great integrity. Judge Garcia Helmick made history as the first woman of Hispanic descent to serve as a Magistrate in the Hamilton County Probate Court. She will continue breaking down barriers as our newest judge.” Garcia Helmick is a member of the Ohio State Bar Association, as well as the Cincinnati Bar Associations, where she serves on the Domestic Relations Committee and Domestic Relations Seminar Committee. Garcia Helmick is also a member of Potter Stewart Inn of Court. Outside of the law profession, Garcia Helmick is an active performing artist. She has long been involved in the Cincinnati opera scene, performing in hundreds of concerts and having served on the Cincinnati Opera Association Board of Directors Advisory Panel. In 1999, Garcia Helmick was honored as a Distinguished Hispanic Ohioan by The Ohio Commission on Hispanic/Latino Affairs. Garcia Helmick is a current member of the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Greater Cincinnati. Garcia Helmick holds a Juris Doctor from University of Cincinnati College of Law. She earned a Bachelor of Music from University of Cincinnati College Conservatory of Music and an Associate of Arts from Columbia College in Missouri. |
