Fourth District Court of Appeals to Hear Regional Cases in McArthur March 5

The Fourth District Court of Appeals will convene on Thursday, March 5, at 10 a.m. in the Vinton County Common Pleas Courtroom in the Vinton County Courthouse in McArthur to consider appeals from Jackson, Ross, and Scioto Counties." The session brings appellate arguments to McArthur as three Fourth District judges travel to Vinton County for oral argument.

Cases scheduled for March 5 will be heard by a three-judge panel. "Cases will be argued before Presiding Judge Smith, Administrative Judge Hess, and Judge Wilkin." Presiding Judge Jason P. Smith of Ironton, Administrative Judge Michael D. Hess of Circleville, and Judge Kristy S. Wilkin of Hillsboro make up the panel named for the McArthur session.

The Fourth Appellate District's roster also includes Judge Peter B. Abele of Vinton, giving the district four judges in total. "The Fourth Appellate District is comprised of Presiding Judge Jason P. Smith of Ironton; Administrative Judge Michael D. Hess of Circleville; Judge Peter B. Abele of Vinton; and Judge Kristy S. Wilkin of Hillsboro." The March 5 panel does not list Abele as sitting on that specific panel.

The Court's remit reaches across southern Ohio. The Fourth District serves Adams, Athens, Gallia, Highland, Hocking, Jackson, Lawrence, Meigs, Pickaway, Pike, Ross, Scioto, Vinton, and Washington counties. The court's role is to take up appeals from a range of lower tribunals: "The Court of Appeals directly reviews all cases heard or tried in lower courts in which a decision is being appealed. These cases may have been tried in Common Pleas, Probate, Juvenile, Municipal or County Courts, and may be either civil or criminal cases."

Local logistics are set: the session will convene in the Vinton County Common Pleas courtroom at the Vinton County Courthouse in McArthur, with arguments beginning at 10 a.m. Thursday, March 5, 2026. At this time, no case names, docket numbers, or the order of arguments for the March 5 session have been released publicly; the published notice names the originating counties as Jackson, Ross, and Scioto but does not list individual case captions.

McArthur's courthouse will host the regional panel for the day, bringing appellate work originating beyond Vinton County into the local courtroom. Residents and attorneys with matters in the Fourth District who expect appellate activity this term should note the start time and the three-judge panel assigned to hear the March 5 arguments.