September Announcements

The Fourth District Court of Appeals would like to congratulate two of our district’s judges who were honored with awards for judicial excellence and innovation.

The 2025 Innovative Court Programs and Practices Award was presented to “Operation: Better Together” at the Adams County Court of Common Pleas, led by Judge Brett Spencer. The Innovative Court Programs and Practices Award seeks to highlight and bring greater visibility to exemplary programs in Ohio’s courts and to facilitate the transfer of those programs to other jurisdictions.

According to the Ohio State Bar Association, the Adams County Court of Common Pleas has built strong bridges between local agency and community partners to raise awareness and better connect vulnerable, at-risk and justice-involved populations with a wide array of wraparound services they need to get back on their feet and achieve lifelong success.

The 2025 Thomas J. Moyer Award for Judicial Excellence was presented to Scioto County

Common Pleas Court Judge Howard “Hank” Harcha III. The Moyer award was established in

2010 by the Ohio State Bar Association (Ohio Bar) in honor of the late chief justice. It seeks to recognize a current or former Ohio state or federal judge in the Moyer mold, who displays outstanding qualities of judicial excellence including integrity, fairness, open-mindedness, knowledge of the law, professionalism, ethics, creativity, sound judgment, courage and decisiveness.

Judge Howard “Hank” Harcha III has honorably served the people of Scioto County, both as a judge of the Portsmouth Municipal Court and as judge of the Scioto County Court of Common Pleas. President Bill Chris of the Ohio State Bar Association recognized Judge Harcha “not only for his work to ensure legal services are available for those most in need, but for a career-long and inspiring commitment to the rule of law and the administration of justice.”

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