THE RACE for a seat on Ohio’s Seventh District Court of Appeals will be determined in next week’s Republican primary.

The seat is being vacated at the end of March by Democrat David D’Apolito, who is leaving before his term ends to become the city manager in Canfield. Gov. Mike DeWine, a Republican, will appoint D’Apolito’s successor, and he is expected to wait until after the primary before making his decision.

The contest to replace him is between Columbiana Municipal Court Judge Katelyn Dickey of Lisbon and former Ohio Supreme Court Justice and former Seventh District Judge Mary DeGenaro of Poland.

The court has jurisdiction over Mahoning, Columbiana, Belmont, Carroll, Harrison, Jefferson, Monroe and Noble counties.

DICKEY

Dickey has presided over Columbiana Municipal Court since 2020 after serving as an assistant county prosecutor for a year.

She graduated from Gannon University in Erie, Pennsylvania, in 2012, and immediately began a stint as magistrate and staff attorney at Columbiana Common Pleas Court, which ended when that court changed judges in 2018.

Sitting Seventh District Judge Carol Ann Robb also served both as municipal judge and county magistrate in Columbiana County before her election to the appeals court in 2014. If elected, Dickey would join her as the only member of the panel with experience as a trial court judge.

“My experience is very important at the appellate level. I make these decisions, that the appellate court reviews, every day,” she said. “Having done these things myself, I have a better idea of what it’s like to be in this position and make these decisions.”

Dickey said her priorities include updating the technology in the Seventh District courthouse, educating children about the court’s functions and improving efficiency — largely through technical updates.

“While the average citizen doesn’t use the court of appeals like they might a municipal or common pleas court, there’s no reason why the court of appeals can’t have convenient, up-to-date technology that allows anyone to electronically access argument schedules, filings and much more,” Dickey said.

She cited the use of a PDF court calendar that is typed and uploaded to the court’s website on a weekly basis.

“Instead of this outdated process, a comprehensive filing system that allows for automated and real-time updates would be better,” Dickey said. “Additionally, the court’s website should list and make its opinions available (online). Right now, the website merely directs people to call and ask for an opinion or search the Ohio Supreme Court website.”

Besides the on-site hearings at local school districts that began while DeGenaro was on the panel, Dickey said the court can do more to educate students about the judicial process. .

“I would first want to contact the school districts to see what they think would help students the most,” she said. “I’d like to find out what each individual district’s needs are. On-site trials are something they are still doing and we should continue with that, but also find other creative ways to engage students.”

DEGENARO

DeGenaro said the court needs a more experienced hand at a time of heavy transition.

“Between the 2022 and 2026 election cycles, there will be a complete turnover of judges on the court, and decades of experience lost,” she said.

In addition to D’Apolito’s departure, Judge Gene Donofrio left the bench in 2022, replaced by first-time Appellate Judge Mark Hanni, and in 2026, Judges Carol Robb and Cheryl Waite will leave the court because of term limits.

“That is why my almost 18 years of appellate judicial experience is needed to lead the next generation of judges (in) the Seventh District. I can serve two terms on the court and can then leave it in experienced hands,” DeGenaro said.

DeGenaro served on the panel from 2001 to 2018 before being appointed to the Ohio Supreme Court, where she served for one year before losing her seat to Democrat Melody Stewart. She has since served as chief legal counsel for Ohio Auditor Keith Faber. Before her appointment to the Seventh District, DeGenaro served on Poland Village Council from 1998 to 2001. She earned her bachelor of arts from Youngstown State University in 1983 and her juris doctorate from Cleveland State University Law School in 1986.

While on the panel, DeGenaro reviewed over 4,000 appeals, wrote over 1,100 opinions, and was asked on several occasions to sit on the Ohio Supreme Court (before her appointment to that body) and several other district appeals courts during her tenure.

In addition to mentoring newer judges, DeGenaro said she also wants to use technology to expand the way the court reaches out to students in the district’s schools.

“Not only by increasing the number of schools the court holds hearings at in person, but using the technology the court now has in place to livestream the court’s hearings into the schools,” she said.

DeGenaro said her other priority is to promote the importance of jury service.

“While there are no juries in appellate courts, the public needs to hear from a judge how important they are to the court system. The peaceful resolution of disputes by following the rule of law is a bedrock principle of our democracy,” she said.

She said that while technology can help with outreach initiatives like education, it is not entirely necessary — or always feasible or fiscally responsible — to push website updates.

“There’s always room for improvement and I’m open to exploring it, if we need to upload info on a more timely basis,” she said.

DeGenaro said the appellate court works much differently and so the needs of those interacting with the court are different.

“What happens at the trial court level is a lot more time sensitive than at the court of appeals. The nature of the work is faster because those cases have to be resolved more quickly,” she said.

DeGenaro said appellate dockets should mirror the state supreme court more than they do trial courts. She said opinions can be found easily on the Supreme Court website, and trial court information is available on those courts’ websites.

“The only thing missing is the trial transcript. The Seventh District has its own internal docket, and we have eight separate clerks of courts we have to work with, so you have to factor in the technological capabilities of courts in eight different counties.”