Cleveland Law Library Weblog

Effective Today, 3/2/2022, Masks are Optional at the Cleveland Law Library

As of today, 3/2/22, the Cleveland Law Library is adopting the same mask rules laid out in the latest Administrative Order signed by Administrative Judges from the Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court, the Cuyahoga County Domestic Relations Court, the Cuyahoga County Juvenile Court, the Cuyahoga County Probate Court, and the Ohio  Eighth District Court of Appeals. As these Courts are, we are following the science regulating the wearing of masks. The bottom line of what this means is that masks are currently optional, but certainly permissible, and unvaccinated individuals are encouraged to wear a mask at all times in the County's 3 courthouses, including the Lakeside Courthouse. Anyone who needs a mask upon entry will still be provided one upon request. If COVID numbers change in the future, our mask guidance will change with it.

Ohio Supreme Court Creates Online Map of Courts with Specialized Dockets

The Ohio Supreme Court has created a great, interactive map of all Ohio Courts with specialized dockets. Users can search by Jurisdiction, Judge, County, and Docket Type. A search of Cuyahoga County showed that

Cleveland Municipal Court has Human Trafficking, Mental Health, Drug, and Veterans Treatment dockets

Cuyahoga County Common Pleas (General Division) has Human Trafficking, Mental Health, and Drug dockets

Cuyahoga County Common Pleas (Juvenile Division) has Mental Health, Drug, and Family Dependency dockets

South Euclid Municipal Court has a Mental Health docket

Click here to read the Ohio Supreme Court's press release.

Our Law Library, the Cleveland Law Library, Dedicated a Little Free Library at Cuyahoga County Juvenile Justice Center Yesterday, 4/18/17

In collaboration with the FBI Citizens Academy Foundation of Cleveland and the Cuyahoga County Juvenile Court, our Law Library, the Cleveland Law Library, dedicated a Little Free Library at the Cuyahoga County Juvenile Justice Center yesterday on April 18, 2017. We believe that this is the first LFL to be installed in a courthouse in the United States.
This LFL is located in the 2nd floor lobby of the Justice Center near the balcony that overlooks the 1st floor entrance and lobby. It is conveniently located between the Clerk's office and the cafeteria. Our Charter Number is 40074, and it will soon be posted to the map located at littlefreelibrary.org.   After a lovely ceremony and reception yesterday at 1:00 p.m., we saw a little girl take the very 1st book from the LFL! Seeing that assured me that it will be a success and cemented my belief that there can never be too many opportunities for children and teens to read!

This is the 2nd LFL we have created this year. See our prior post about the LFL we established with the Cleveland Public Library. 

Three Cheers for Judge Matia and the Cuyahoga County Drug Court!

Three cheers for Judge Matia and the Cuyahoga County Drug Court. A recent article on cleveland.com described the joyous graduation ceremony for 25 individuals who passed a rigorous, year-long Drug Court Program that allowed them to get clean and rebuild their lives. It will also allow them to avoid jail time and have their drug convictions expunged. The Drug Court Program has been been operating since 2009, and over 300 people have successfully passed through its doors. The mission of the Drug Court is stated on its website as:

"Stop the abuse of alcohol and other drugs and related criminal activity. Drug courts promote recovery through a coordinated response to offenders dependent on alcohol and other drugs. Realization of these goals requires a team approach, including cooperation and collaboration of the judges, prosecutors, defense counsel, probation authorities, other corrections personnel, law enforcement, pretrial services agencies, TASC programs, evaluators, an array of local service providers, and the greater community”

E-filing Will become Mandatory in the 8th District Court of Appeals on Monday, March 3, 2014

According to the web site of the 8th District Court of Appeals: "Administrative Judge Mary J. Boyle, the judges of the Eighth District Court of Appeals, and Clerk of Courts Andrea Rocco announce that on Monday, March 3, 2014, electronic filing (e-filing) will become mandatory in the Eighth District Court of Appeals. 

 All appellate documents and original actions must be filed electronically, except as outlined in the court’s local rules.  See, Loc.App.R. 13.1 – Electronic Filing."

The e-filing portal can be accessed below:

Cuyahoga County Clerk of Courts E-Filing Portal

Click here for the Local Rules on e-filing.

Local Cuyahoga County Assistant Prosecutor Anna Faraglia Wins State of Ohio Outstanding Prosecutor Award

Congratulations go to local Cuyahoga County Assistant Prosecutor Anna Faraglia, who just won the Outstanding Prosecutor Award for the State of Ohio. Ms. Faraglia has handled some very high-profile cases, including being part of the team that prosecuted Ariel Castro. According to a news release, Ms. Faraglia received her award from the Ohio Prosecuting Attorneys Association.

E-Filing Almost Here for Cuyahoga County Common Pleas and Court of Appeals

The Clerk of Court for Cuyahoga County is on the verge of going live with a brand-new e-filing system. According to an Order (First Amended Temporary Administrative Order) issued by Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court Administrative Judge Nancy Fuerst, voluntary e-filing in selected civil cases will start on October 14th-just 6 days from now. That includes cases involving: professional torts (filing codes 1311, 1312, 1313, 1315, 1316, 1317), product liability (1330), other torts (1310, 1314, 1350), workers compensation (1550, 1531), the commercial docket (1386, 1387), administrative appeals (1540, 1551) and other civil (1382, 1384, 1388, 1391, 1501, 1502, 1503). Beginning on November 12th, e-filing will be mandatory for foreclosure cases (filing codes 1460, 1465, 1466, 1467, 1470, 1480, 1481). Although criminal e-filing is coming, it will be addressed by a separate administrative order.

According to the Order, filers must remove all personal and private information from documents they file, including, but not limited to, SSN's, financial account numbers, names of minor children, information protected by law from disclosure, and other PIN information like driver's license numbers. All documents except proposed orders that must be filed in Microsoft Word (.doc or .docx), are required to be filed in PDF format, and no document can exceed 20MB. Although documents can be submitted electronically 24x7, they will only be "deemed filed...24 hours a day, five days a week." The Clerk will accept paper filings until e-filing becomes mandatory. Even then, pro se litigants will still be able to file paper documents or use a computer terminal at the court to register and e-file. The Court promises that training will be provided for attorneys who are going to be using the new system. Lawyers and other filers will also have to register with the Court and sign an Electronic Filing System's User Agreement, which should hopefully become available soon. Once users are registered, the Clerk will send out electronic notifications of notices, orders, and other documents. The Judge's Order, with more specifics on e-filing, can be found here. In addition, click here for the Court's e-filing announcement. 

Andrea Rocco Has Been Appointed as the Acting Clerk of Courts of Cuyahoga County, Ohio, eff. 1/2/13

Today, Andrea Rocco takes office as the acting Clerk of Courts of Cuyahoga County, Ohio. She has been appointed by Cuyahoga County Executive Edward FitzGerald to replace retiring Clerk of Courts Gerald E. Fuerst, who has served the Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court judges and staff for over 30 years. The Law Library wishes Mr. Fuerst a happy retirement.

Governor Kasich Appoints Bratenahl Mayor's Court Magistrate Janet R. Colaluca to Cuyahoga County Domestic Relations Court

According to an Ohio Supreme Court press release, Governor John Kasich has appointed Bratenahl Mayor's Court Magistrate Janet R. Colaluca to fill a vacancy at the Cuyahoga County Domestic Relations Court. Magistrate Colaluca will take the seat created by the recent passing of former DR Judge Kathleen O'Malley. Magistrate Colaluca will take office on January 7th. The Magistrate is a 1991 graduate of Cleveland-Marshall College of Law. 

The Cuyahoga County Clerk of Courts is Still Looking for a New Chief

I am not sure how long Gerald E. Fuerst has been the Clerk of Court in Cuyahoga County, but the County posted his job on August 15th, and it is still pending. According to the Clerk's employment web site page, the position will remain open until it is filled. The preview of the job shows a salary range of $86,000 - $125,000 and general job requirements. The job responsibilities are also listed and include: being the official record keeper for the Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas General and Domestic Relations Divisions and the Court of Appeals for the Eighth Appellate District in Ohio; receiving and collecting statutory fees and court ordered fines and costs; calling jurors; maintaining search warrants; expunging records; and other duties.