Second District Court of Appeals

Ohio's intermediate appellate court for the Dayton region — a multi-county district covering Montgomery, Greene, Miami, Clark, Darke, and Champaign counties. It hears appeals from the Montgomery County Court of Common Pleas and its sister trial courts.

Key facts

• Judges serve 6-year terms and appear on the ballot with party labels (Ohio's 2021 law made appellate and Supreme Court races partisan; trial courts stayed nonpartisan).
• 2026: one seat is up, and it is uncontested — Republican incumbent Chris Epley drew no Democratic opponent (the Democratic primary was canceled).

Connections

• Unlike the contested trial bench below it, the appeals seat is a quiet Republican hold — a reminder that even in a swing county, some seats go uncontested. Compare the Ninth District (Akron) and First District (Cincinnati). Part of Dayton 2026 Elections.