Butler County Assistant Prosecutor Gregory S. Stephens will become a judge on the Butler County Common Pleas Court on March 14 after his appointment by Gov. John R. Kasich on Feb. 24 to fill a vacancy.

Stephens must win in the Nov. 8 general election to retain the seat for the full six-year term commencing Jan. 2, 2017. Stephens replaces retired Judge Patricia S. Oney.

Stephens received his bachelor’s degree from Miami University in 1991, and his law degree from the University of Dayton School of Law in 1995. He was admitted to the practice of law in Ohio on Nov. 13, 1995.

Stephens served as a Special Assistant U.S. Attorney from February 2012 to November 2013 and is a member of the Ohio State and Butler County bar associations and the National District Attorneys Association.