Cleveland Law Library Weblog

New Cuyahoga County Juvenile Justice System Will be Fully Open to Public on October 11, 2011

Today marks the last day of business for the Cuyahoga County Juvenile Court at its current facility on East 22nd. The Court is in the process of moving into the new Cuyahoga County Juvenile Justice Center (CCJJC) located at 9300 Quincy Ave. in Cleveland, Ohio. The building will be fully open to the public starting on October 11, 2011, but filings will be accepted at the CCJJC beginning on October 3rd, when the court will also begin to hear emergency custody, detention arraignments, adult jail, and civil protection matters at the new facility. For questions, you can call (216) 443-8400 for more information. Click here for a video tour of the new facility.

Ohio Supreme Court Getting ready for Annual Update to Civil, Appellate, Criminal and Juvenile Rules

The Ohio Supreme Court is getting a head start on annual updates to the rules governing civil, appellate, criminal and juvenile practice in Ohio. Through November 2nd, the Court is accepting comments on proposed changes which would include rules on official transcripts for appeal, oral argument scheduling, magistrate qualifications, and rules for juvenile proceedings. Click here to read the Court's press release, which contains a link where you can read the text of the proposed rules.

Ohio Supreme Court Accepting Comments on Proposed Rule for Juvenile Court CPO's

The Ohio Supreme Court is accepting public comments until July 20, 2010 on a proposed new Rule 10.05 to the Ohio Rules of Superintendence that would authorize juvenile courts to issue civil protection orders against juveniles and adopt standard forms for seeking a protection order. The Rule was proposed in response to HB 10, which allows a juvenile court to issue a protection order against a child who is alleged to have committed certain offenses or domestic violence against the person to be protected. HB 10 also includes foster parents under the scope of the domestic violence laws and prohibits the unauthorized use of the Ohio Law Enforcement Gateway.  According to the Ohio Attorney General's office, the Gateway "is a secure, Web-based platform that provides real-time information to law enforcement agencies about identity theft, sex offenders and missing children. Through OHLEG, law enforcement agencies can share information in order to better prevent and solve crimes."

Ohio Supreme Court Translates Common Forms into 5 Languages

The Ohio Supreme Court has translated 27 common forms used in general, domestic relations, juvenile and probate court cases into Spanish, Arabic, Mandarin, Russian, and Somali. A few of the key forms include those related to domestic violence and stalking. Click here to find the translated forms.

Contracts for Cuyahoga County Juvenile Justice Center Approved

The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports that Cuyahoga County has approved $29 million in contracts for construction of a new Juvenile Justice Center. Approval had been delayed based on allegations of corruption in the bidding process, but some of the work on the Center has already begun, with the hope of opening in 2011. The PD indicates that the County postponed its vote until receiving a clean bill of health from a former federal prosecutor the County hired to review all of the bid, appraisal and contract documents. Interestingly, the PD column ends by stating that the County changed its bid process in the last few weeks despite the fact that the contracts were also cleared as part of a large federal investigation.

New Ohio Court Rules Effective Today

Various Ohio Rules of appellate, civil, criminal, and juvenile procedure become effective today. The Ohio Supreme Court's Press Release outlines the changes, which include an addition for service of process on limited liability companies, enhancements to rules on electronic discovery, and other changes. Click here to read a more detailed summary of the amendments, together with the text of all the new rules.

New Ohio Supreme Court Rule Coming for GAL's

For the very first time, the Ohio Supreme Court has issued a state-wide rule for GAL's (Guardians ad litem) that will take effect on March 1, 2009. According to Supreme Court's Press Release, new Rule 48 will govern appointment, responsibilities, training and reporting requirements for GAL's and will apply in all domestic and juvenile court proceedings where the court appoints a GAL. To help implement this new Rule, the Ohio Judicial College is scheduling upcoming training.

Articles Explain Role and Functions of a Guardian ad Litem

The Ohio Family Law Blog has posted 2 recent articles on the role and functions of a Guardian ad Litem. In Part 1 of the series, the author, Anne Shale, Esq., explains what guardians ad litem are and what they do. In Part 2, the author addresses payment of guardians and when to seek the assistance of a guardian ad litem. A key Ohio statute on guardians ad litem is contained in O.R.C. sec. 2151.281. Check out the web page for the local Guardian ad Litem Project, which serves as an independent project of the Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association. The FAQ's on this site are also helpful.

Cuyahoga County to Build New Juvenile Justice Center

The Plain Dealer reports that Cuyahoga County has awarded $40 million in contracts for the construction of a new Juvenile Justice Center on the East side at East 93rd and Quincy Avenue. The project is slated for completion by 2010 and will include space for judges and a juvenile detention center. Although the location was purchased in 2000, the Plain Dealer reports that Juvenile Court Judges did not want to move from their present location until the issue was resolved in late summer 2006. The County's existing juvenile detention center, which has been plagued with issues of over-crowding, is located on Central Avenue in Cleveland.

Cuyahoga County Juvenile Court Issues 2006 Annual Report

Cuyahoga County's Juvenile Court has posted its 2006 Annual Report to the Internet. The Report contains information about the court's judges, locations, probation services, court services, detention center, financial operations, and statistics.