Cleveland Law Library Weblog

8th District Court of Appeals Judge Kathleen Keough Served as a Visiting Judge on the Ohio Supreme Court Yesterday

If you have not already heard, 8th Disrict Court of Appeals Judge Kathleen Keough served as a visiting judge on the Ohio Supreme Court bench yesterday. Judge Keough stepped in for Justice William M. O'Neill, who recused himself in Docks Venture LLC v. Dashing Pacific Group LTD. (Case No. 2013-0473). The case involved contempt of court orders and when a party may appeal the action to a higher court.

8th District Judge Melody Stewart Served as a VJ with the Ohio Supreme Court

Local  Eighth District Appellate Judge Melody Stewart served as a visiting judge with the Ohio Supreme Court yesterday. According to the Supreme Court's press release, she heard a case involving an alleged asbestos-related death in the case of  Burkhart v. H.J. Heinz Co., et al.,(Case No. 2013-0580). This is not the first time Judge Stewart served with the Supreme Court, having previously done so in 2011.

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.

Ohio 8th Appellate District Judge Kenneth A. Rocco Profiled by Ohio Supreme Court's CNO

The Ohio Supreme Court just profiled Ohio 8th Appellate District Judge Kenneth A. Rocco in "On the Bench." Before he was an appellate judge, Judge Rocco served as a Judge on the Cuyahoga County Juvenile Court. He started his distinguished career as an Assistant Law Director in the City of Parma and also served in the Ohio General Assembly. Click here to watch a video with the Judge.

Cuyahoga County Common Pleas e-Filing for Foreclosures to Expand to Most Other Filings for CP and the 8th District Court of Appeals

Under a Temporary Administrative Order issued by the Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court, the Clerk has been accepting e-filing for foreclosure cases. Plans are underway to expand e-filing to all Common Pleas filings and filings in the 8th District Court of Appeals. All of the Court Clerk's current rules for registration and e-filing can be found here.

National Center for State Courts Issues New Trends in State Courts (2013 Edition)

The National Center for State Courts has issued a new Trends in State Courts (2103 edition). Some of the articles in this year's issue cover: mandatory pro bono service; child protection; improving courthouse customer service; understanding the impact of human trafficking on state courts; strategic networks and plans; and access to justice issues for the poor. This edition marks the 25th anniversary of this publication. 

Ohio Supreme Court Justice-elect William M. O’Neill Will Be Sworn In At The Eighth District Court of Appeals in Cleveland at 7pm on December 27th

Ohio Supreme Court Justice-elect William M. O'Neill will be sworn in at the Eighth District Court of Appeals at 7pm on December 27, 2012. His ceremony would ordinarily take place in Columbus, but it was changed to Cleveland at his request inasmuch as he is from this area. Presumably, his ceremony will be streamed live over the Internet at sc.ohio.gov.

Ohio Supreme Court Holds Session at Cuyahoga County Courthouse Today, September 26, 2012

The Ohio Eighth District Court of Appeals is honored to host a session of the Ohio Supreme Court at the Cuyahoga County Courthouse today, Wednesday, September 26, 2012. Public, private, and home-schooled students from Cuyahoga County were invited to attend and participate. After a Q & A session with the Justices, the students will listen to one (1) of four (4) oral arguments scheduled for the morning and then met with the case attorneys for a debriefing. The Librarian will then provide tours to the students and their teachers to showcase the Courthouse treasures being featured this year in honor of the building’s centennial.

During their visit to Cleveland, the Justices also held session at Case Western’s Law School yesterday, on Tuesday, September 25^th and enjoyed a reception at the Courthouse Rotunda on Monday night hosted by the Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association. Not surprisingly, most of Cuyahoga County’s judiciary was in attendance. The Librarian was also fortunate enough to be able to attend and meet the Justices.

For those with an interest in history, the Ohio Supreme Court has been touring Ohio since 1987, when Chief Justice Thomas J. Moyer initiated the Off-Site Court Program in honor of the bicentennial of the United States Constitution. The last time the Ohio Supreme Court came to Cuyahoga County was in 1997, when the Court held session at Cleveland-Marshall College of Law, but the Justices have not been to the Cuyahoga County Courthouse since 1988. To date, the program has allowed almost 30,000 students to observe Ohio Supreme Court proceedings and meet the Justices.

Survey Reports that Judges in Ohio Need a Raise

The National Center for State Courts (NCSC) has just released a survey which shows that judges in Ohio  need a raise. According to NCSC, Ohio Judges have not had a raise since 2008, and they rank in the "bottom half" of judicial salaries nationwide. According to a Columbus Dispatch article which summarized the survey results:

"Ohio Supreme Court justices are paid $141,600 annually, far below California’s $218,237. Chief Justice Maureen O’Connor is paid $150,850, less than the average $157,759 for comparable top court judges in other states and well below California’s $228,856.

Ohio appellate judges receive $132,000, common pleas judges $121,350, full-time municipal judges $114,000, and part-time municipal and county court judges $65,650."

See also The Ohio Supreme Court's Press Release.

Law library shares experience with legal interns

This summer the Cleveland Law Library sponsored two interns named Diamondjean Donald and Jasmine Perry. Ms.Donald came to us from The Louis Stokes Scholars Program created by the Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association, and Ms.Perry came to us from The Stephanie Tubbs Jones Summer Legal Academy. Following their visit to the Court of Appeals their
was taken at the law library with our circulation supervisor, Sharla Johnston, and our chief administrator, Kathleen Dugan. They learned practical legal research skills to support the practice of law in Cuyahoga County.