In an apparent first for an appeals court, the four judges on the 4th-District Ohio Court of Appeals last week authorized themselves to carry concealed handguns both in and outside the 14 county courthouses where they conduct their sessions.

The man made not a single threat, but he prompted Judge William H. Harsha and his colleagues to discuss carrying handguns to protect themselves.

The disheveled man acting as his own attorney at an appellate-court session in Marietta seemed overly emotional, aggressive, on the verge of hysteria and, perhaps, �a little unstable.�

�It opened our eyes again. Some of our courthouses do not have security,� said Harsha, one of four judges on the 4th-District Ohio Court of Appeals.

In an apparent first for an appeals court, the judges last week authorized themselves to carry concealed handguns both in and outside the 14 county courthouses where they conduct sessions.

The court�s order exempts the judges from obtaining firearms training and a concealed-carry permit. State law already allows judges, prosecutors, bailiffs and law-enforcement officers to be armed in courthouses.

Harsha, a competitive shooter and former Pickaway County prosecutor who has served on the appeals court for 26 years, said he probably will pack one of his handguns to ensure his safety.

�The probabilities of an occurrence, in reality, are pretty low, but the impact if it happens is devastating,� Harsha said.

Ohio Supreme Court and Ohio Judicial Conference officials knew of no similar orders authorizing a group of judges to carry handguns off the job. It�s possible that individual judges have authorized themselves to carry guns outside work.

In a 2011 legal article, Lake County Common Pleas Judge Eugene A. Lucci suggested that judges have legal authority to carry guns and should be armed at all times. �The threat does not magically evaporate when the judge removes the robe and walks out the door of the courthouse,� he wrote.

Officials recalled only one instance in recent years where a judge was assaulted � because of his rulings � while off the job. �He got beat up pretty good,� said Mark Schweikert, director of the Ohio Judicial Conference.

The appellate court�s order of last week requires its four judges to secretly notify the county sheriff when they plan to show up for work with a gun.

The 4th District hears cases from Adams, Athens, Gallia, Highland, Hocking, Jackson, Lawrence, Meigs, Pickaway, Pike, Ross, Scioto, Vinton and Washington counties.

Not all of the courthouses, particularly in smaller, rural counties, have security consisting of armed guards and metal detectors, Harsha said.

The judges, however, do have an armed bailiff, a certified police officer who travels with the judges as they hear cases, he said.

Franklin County Common Pleas Court judges have had no discussions about authorizing themselves to carry handguns away from the courthouse, said Atiba Jones, the court�s executive director. Judges, of course, can obtain concealed-carry permits.

Jim Irvine, director of the Buckeye Firearms Association, has no problem with judges arming themselves, in court and out, without obtaining concealed-carry permits.

The pro-gun group chafes at restrictions on where permit holders can carry their guns, but it agrees that courthouses, jails and prisons should be off-limits.

�If judges want to carry, that�s great,� he said. �Their job is unique. Maybe more judges should do that.�

rludlow@dispatch.com

@RandyLudlow