James S. Payne

Question 1

List your judicial experience (courts and years)

Current Judge of the Vinton County Court of Common Pleas, General and Domestic Relations Division, 2023-present

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Question 2

What non-judicial legal experience qualifies you to be a judge?

I have represented both plaintiffs and defendants in my 27 years legal career on various general and family law matters. This includes criminal defense, abuse/neglect/dependency, traffic, truancy, delinquency, real estate matters, probate, estate planning, guardianships, adoptions and guardian ad litem work. Then, in 2020 I ran for and won the position of Vinton County Prosecuting Attorney, where I was involved in investigating, filing, and prosecuting traffic, misdemeanor and felony cases, both adult and juvenile. I also prosecuted unruly and delinquency matters plus abuse/neglect/dependency matters in Juvenile Court. In that position, I was legal counsel for county elected officials and others. I occasionally served as special prosecutor in other Ohio counties when their prosecutor had a conflict.

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Question 3

Why are you running for this particular court seat?

In my short tenure as Judge of the Court of Common Pleas, I have already began making changes to the court, both physical changes as well as policy changes. Monitors have been installed in the courtroom so that everyone in attendance will be able to observe videos played for cases, both civil and criminal; this will allow the parties to present their respective cases in a more modern way with today's technology. I want to work on security issues for the court, as well as online filing capabilities, and I anticipate pursuing grant money along with my Clerk of Courts to address this. I am working to reduce case overage, which means to speed up the docket and get legal matters handled in a timely manner, rather than drag on unnecessarily. I feel I get along very well with most of the attorneys and prosecutors that come before my court, as well as the litigants. I have a developed a healthy respect for both sides in criminal matters, both the State's position as well as the defense attorney's. I am active in the drug court and intend to continue that certification. I try to maintain good relationships with all other offices in the courthouse, as well as the Sheriff, local police and Childrens Services, so that we can work together to better serve the public.