Appellate Unit

Melanie Tobias, Director
375 South High Street
17th Floor
Columbus, Ohio 43215
614-645-6342

Appellate Unit personnel are responsible for the handling of appeals arising from the Prosecutor Division of the Columbus City Attorney’s Office. They also serve as legal advisors to the Trial Unit staff. Additionally, the Appellate Unit houses as many as ten law clerks that are responsible for the arraignment of most traffic offenders.

 If you have a question regarding a case on appeal or if you are a law enforcement agency seeking an informal opinion of law, please contact ontact Melanie R. Tobias.

If you have a question regarding an upcoming traffic arraignment, please contact one of the Unit’s law clerks. The clerks cannot advise you regarding the Rules of Evidence, Rules of Traffic Procedure, or how to defend your case, but they can answer procedural questions and may be able to assist you. For more information on traffic arraignment, see our FAQ.

Melanie Tobias, Appellate Unit Director	645-8876	mrtobias@columbus.gov
Orly Ahroni, Prosecutor	645-8086	orahroni@columbus.gov
Joy Riley, Paralegal	645-6342	jariley@columbus.gov

Clerks

Yasmine Almikhi	645-8178	ytalmikhi@columbus.gov
Zachary Gwin	645-6763	zsgwin@columbus.gov
Ashley Johns	645-6694	aljohns@columbus.gov
Kristin Pe	645-6688	kspe@columbus.gov
Brandon Riddle	645-6664	btriddle@columbus.gov
Melissa Salamon	645-6761	mlsalamon@columbus.gov
Sally Smetzer	645-6698	srsmetzer@columbus.gov