BATAVIA, OHIO (April 4, 2025) – Gov. Mike DeWine has appointed senior assistant prosecutor Katherine Terpstra to serve as a judge for Clermont County Municipal Court.
Terpstra assumes office Monday, April 7.
She will be serving the remainder of Judge Jason Nagel’s unfinished term that expires Jan. 1, 2028. Nagel was elected in November 2024 as a judge for Clermont County Court of Common Pleas.
“I am honored to be selected to take over the role of municipal court judge,” Terpstra said. “I look forward to continuing to serve the citizens of Clermont County in this new capacity.”
Terpstra has been a senior assistant prosecutor for Clermont County since 2019. She joined the prosecutor’s office in 2013. Terpstra earned her juris doctorate with honors from the University of Cincinnati College of Law.
A career prosecutor, Terpstra brings more than 10 years of courtroom experience to her new role on the bench. She worked her way up from intern to senior assistant prosecuting attorney in the felony division during her time in the prosecutor’s office.
As a senior assistant, Terpstra supervised other attorneys in the office and handled serious and complex cases, successfully prosecuting rape and murder cases as well as those involving intricate criminal enterprises. Terpstra has experience in all aspects of criminal law, including juvenile, traffic, misdemeanor, felony, and appellate. She has extensive experience in trial work and motion practice, including cases presenting unique or novel legal issues.
Terpstra, a Cincinnati native, graduated with honors from Ohio State University in 2010 with undergraduate degrees in psychology and Spanish. She was also a student-athlete at OSU, competing with the university’s nationally ranked women’s rowing team.
Terpstra got her start in the Clermont County court system as an intern in the prosecutor’s office during her last semester of law school at UC. She was hired as an assistant prosecutor after graduation.
Terpstra is married and has three children. She is involved in a variety of their children’s school and extracurricular activities.
