The Ohio Supreme Court has adopted changes to Superintendence Rule 10.03 (governing civil and criminal protection orders) and 30 protection order forms. According to the Supreme Court's news release, these changes and the new forms will go into effect on March 1st and include the following changes:
- encouraging law enforcement to enter promptly properly issued protection orders into the FBI’s protection order database and firearms disability database
- placing in a prominent position the no abuse term in the protection order, as this is the most distinguishable characteristic of a protection order,
- underscoring the importance of providing an address that does not compromise the petitioner’s safety to receive correspondence from the court,
- expanding references to social media to clarify the no contact provision in the order,
- articulating that law enforcement officers and U.S. Armed Forces members may be exempt from firearms disability because of their jobs,
- clarifying the weapons surrender term in the order and return procedures,
- indicating the new judicial review standard for protection order proceedings before a magistrate,
- and revising the forms consistent with the no fee prohibition in last year’s reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act.