Independence Day will take on added meaning this year for magistrate Christopher J. Regan after his appointment today to the vacancy on the Jackson County Common Pleas Court by Gov. John R. Kasich.

Regan will begin serving as judge on July 1 in the general and domestic relations divisions. Regan must run in the November 2014 general election to retain the seat for the remainder of the unexpired term, which ends December 31, 2016. Regan is replacing retired Judge Leonard Holzapfel.

Regan received his bachelor’s degree from Albright College in 1981, his master’s degree from Villanova University in 1982, and his law degree from Capital University in 1986. Since 2000, he has served as common pleas magistrate and since 2008 as magistrate of the Jackson County Municipal Court.