Judge Locke Graves was elected in November of 2003 to succeed Judge George Ferguson, who retired December 31, 2003.  Previously, she practiced law as an assistant prosecuting attorney for Lorain County where she handled cases in every division of  that office for nearly fifteen years, including five years as Chief Counsel of the Domestic Relations Division.  Her experience as a prosecutor involved representing the various agencies and departments of Lorain County, representing the Lorain County Board of Commissioners, representing township officials, prosecuting adult felony-level cases, prosecuting juvenile delinquency cases, representing the Lorain County Child Support Enforcement Agency and Lorain County Children Services. 

A lifelong resident of Elyria, Judge Locke Graves received her Juris Doctorate degree from the Cleveland-Marshall College of Law in 1990.  She attended Lorain County Community College and earned a Bachelor of Science in Journalism degree from Ohio University in 1982.