County Court Judge Arthur S. Wetzel to Retire January 2, 2026

October 10, 2025 County Court Judge Arthur S. Wetzel of the 9th Judicial District has announced his retirement, effective January 2, 2026. Judge Wetzel served the 9th District, comprised of Hall and Buffalo counties since his appointment in 2011.

In his announcement letter to the governor, Judge Wetzel commended the dedicated court staff and their “dedication to the citizens they serve.” During his time on the bench, Judge Wetzel served as Presiding Judge of the Ninth District in 2014 and 2021.

After taking the bench in 2011, Wetzel has been regularly retained in his judicial position by area voters, most recently in 2020.

The first step in replacing Judge Wetzel will be for the Judicial Resources Commission to call a meeting to determine whether, based on judicial workload statistics, his retirement creates a judicial vacancy on the county court for the 9th Judicial District.