Ohio Court Information

Ohio has an extensive legal system in place, much more so than what you will find in most other states. There are federal and the state courts here, but what is special in Ohio is the hierarchy in the state court system. The various state courts of Ohio are as follows:

•    The Supreme Court
•    The District Appellate Courts (these are present in 12 districts)
•    The Claims Court
•    The Common Pleas Court
•    The Municipal Courts
•    The County Courts
•    The Mayor's Courts

Ohio Supreme Court

Among all the Ohio courts, it is the Supreme Court that remains at the top of the legal system. This Ohio Court is the final authority on all matters of constitution and law interpretation. There are 6 Associate Justices here and they are headed by a Chief Justice; all the justices in the state have terms for 6 years. If however is a vacancy, it is the Governor who appoints someone to the position.

The Supreme Court also handles all cases of appeals that come to it from lower courts and cases where there is a death penalty. The website of the state Supreme Court is

http://www.sconet.state.oh.us

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Ohio District Court

The District Appellate Courts are intermediate level courts of appeal in Ohio. There are in total 12 appellate districts in Ohio, and there must be 1 court at least in every county. Though there are 68 judges in these courts in the state, the total number of judges that each court is continually changing from 4 to 12. There is a panel that decides each case, and this panel constitutes of 3 judges. A judge in the District Appellate Courts has a term for 6 years and is elected to serve.

The website of the state District Appellate Courts is

http://www.sconet.state.oh.us/JudSystem/districtCourts/default.asp

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Ohio Claims Court

The Claims Court is a court that has limited jurisdiction. It hears all civil cases against agencies of the state and the state itself. The civil cases must be worth $2,500 or less to be heard in this court.

Typically, the cases involve disputes on contracts, personal injury and damage to property, issues of state officer and employee immunities, cases of wrongful imprisonment and discrimination. The Chief Justice of the court decides who will hear the case – in some cases there is a panel comprised of 3 judges, particularly when the issue at hand is complicated.

A panel is almost always set up for appeals of victims of crime. If the appellant is not happy with the decision of the panel, then a further appeal might be made to the Chief Justice.

The website of Ohio’s Claims Court is

http://www.cco.state.oh.us

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Ohio Court of Common Pleas

The Ohio Court of Common Pleas is a trial court in the state’s legal system. There are 88 counties in the state, and each county must always have one Ohio Court Common Pleas.

This is a general jurisdiction court that was established according to Section 1, Article IV of the state's constitution. According to the state constitution, this is the only trial court in Ohio. This court has been divided into 4 divisions for proper functioning and these divisions are:

•    Domestic relations
•    Probate
•    General
•    Juvenile

The judges in this Ohio court serve terms for 6 years and must be an attorney with a minimum of 6 years of work experience before serving.

Ohio Municipal Courts

Next in Ohio’s legal system are the various Municipal Courts. These courts have limited jurisdiction and can hear cases that involve cases of misdemeanors (both traffic and non-traffic), small claims of civic matters where the amount involved is equal to or less than $15,000, and cases involving evictions. The Municipal Courts also have the authority to carry out preliminary hearings for felony cases.

Interestingly, the jurisdiction of County Courts and Municipal Courts seem to be the same. For example, County Courts are not used where the jurisdiction of the Municipal Courts spans across the county. On the other hand, if any particular area of the county has not been covered by the Municipal Court, you will find that there is a County Court there.

Municipal Court judges serve a term of 6 years and are elected to the bench. To become a judge, a person needs to be an attorney in the state with a minimum of 6 years of practice.

Ohio Mayor's Courts

Mayor's Courts in the state are the lowest level in Ohio’s legal system. These courts are set up in some municipalities and have the jurisdiction to hear cases involving misdemeanors and traffic violations. A magistrate is the presiding officer, and is appointed by the Mayor.

Since these courts are not trial courts, they do not come under the state Supreme Court’s supervision. These courts also cannot carry out trials by jury. If a defendant wants a jury in a trial, then the case is transferred to a trial court – which is usually to a County Court or a Municipal Court.