Judge-designee Payne will begin his term on July 31.

Judge-designee Payne will begin his term on July 31.

Prosecuting attorney James Payne has been appointed to the Vinton County Court of Common Pleas bench as judge of the general and domestic relations divisions.

Payne will assume office on July 31. He takes the seat previously held by James Salyer, who resigned in June. The judge-designee must win election in November 2024 to retain the seat for the remainder of the term that ends on Dec. 31, 2028.

The judge-designee has been the Vinton County prosecutor for the past two-and-a-half years. Prior to that, he was in private practice after beginning his career as a judicial attorney in Lawrence County.

Payne earned his law degree from Capital University Law School and received his undergraduate degree from Harding University.