YOUNGSTOWN — Students from the Mock Trial team at Austintown Fitch High School observed oral arguments last week at the 7th District Court of Appeals and engaged in a question-and-answer period with the court judges afterward.

“We’re always pleased to provide this opportunity to young students interested in the field of law,” Judge Carol A. Robb said. The judges, including Cheryl L. Waite, Mark A. Hanni and Katelyn Dickey, encouraged the students to pursue the legal field and provided glimpses into their own unique backgrounds, which brought them to the appellate bench, according to a news release.

A mock trial team allows students to assume the roles of defense attorneys and prosecutors while presenting and arguing their case as if they were real attorneys and helps them understand the complexities of the law. Some team members are interested in law careers.

The 7th District Court of Appeals, which is located on West Federal Street downtown, is one of 12 appellate districts in Ohio. The court reviews decisions made by lower courts in the counties of Belmont, Carroll, Columbiana, Harrison, Jefferson, Mahoning, Monroe and Noble.

The court consists of four judges elected by popular vote, serving six-year terms. Each case on appeal is reviewed by a panel of three judges, one of whom is randomly assigned to write a decision after reviewing the record and the briefs filed in the case. The decision, once released, can be appealed further to the Ohio Supreme Court.

Robb was elected to the appeals court in 2014 and is a former Columbiana County Common Pleas Court magistrate and Columbiana County Municipal Court judge.

Waite was first elected to the appeals court in 1996 and was the first woman to serve on the 7th District Court of Appeals. She has been selected several times to sit by assignment on the Ohio Supreme Court.

Hanni worked as a criminal defense attorney before being elected to the appeals court in November 2022. Hanni, a Republican, is the son of the late Don Hanni Jr., longtime Democratic Party chairman in Mahoning County and onetime Youngstown Municipal Court judge.

Dickey was appointed to serve on the 7th District Court of Appeals in April 2024. She was magistrate for the Columbiana County Common Pleas Court and assistant prosecutor in Columbiana County before being elected Columbiana County Municipal Court judge in 2019.