OCTOBER 29, 2026

Trial Court Decides Which Firearm Specification to Impose at Sentencing

When an offender is convicted of two or more firearm specifications related to the same felony, the trial judge, not the prosecution, decides which specification to impose, the Supreme Court of Ohio ruled today.

OCTOBER 28, 2026

Making the Case: Court Examines Class-Action Lawsuit to Contest High Water Bills and a Custody Dispute Between a Mother and Her Child’s Grandparents

In the latest edition of “Making the Case,” the Supreme Court of Ohio considers an attempt by residents to sue the city of Lorain over high water bills. In 2024, the Lorain County Common Pleas Court rejected a proposed class-action lawsuit against the city, which claimed customers were charged excessive rates for water and sewer service since 2012. An appeals court overturned the lower court’s rejection, and the city appealed the decision to the Supreme Court.

Protection Order Challenge Could Not Be Reviewed Without First Filing Objections in Trial Court

A person subject to a civil stalking protection order must first file objections with the trial court before challenging alleged errors on appeal, the Supreme Court of Ohio ruled today.

OCTOBER 27, 2026

Making the Case: Court Considers Flavored Tobacco Regulation and Ability to Appeal Transfer of Property to Pay Debt

The latest edition of “Making the Case” features the Supreme Court of Ohio hearing a challenge to a state law brought by several Ohio cities seeking to regulate the sale of flavored tobacco. In 2024, the General Assembly adopted a new law prohibiting local governments from regulating tobacco and alternative nicotine products. The cities asked the Supreme Court to declare the new law unconstitutional.

Juvenile Court’s Disputes With Union Must Go to Arbitration

Disputes regarding the two collective bargaining agreements between the Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court’s Juvenile Division and its union employees must go to arbitration, the Supreme Court of Ohio ruled today.

OCTOBER 26, 2026

Making the Case: Arrest for Resisting Emergency Hospitalization and Claim to Pandemic-Era Unemployment Benefits Considered

In the latest edition of “Making the Case,” the Supreme Court of Ohio hears a woman’s challenge to her arrest for obstructing official business when she resisted police attempts to enforce an emergency hospitalization order. The Supreme Court also considers a class-action lawsuit challenging Gov. Mike DeWine’s authority to withdraw the state from a pandemic-era program that paid an additional $300 per week in unemployment benefits to unemployed workers.

OCTOBER 22, 2026

Appellate Court Improperly Reversed Trial Court’s Rejection of Proposed Class-Action Lawsuit

A Lorain County trial court did not make an error by considering all the requirements for class certification when it rejected a proposed class-action lawsuit alleging the city of Lorain was charging unlawful rates and fees for water and sewer services, the Supreme Court of Ohio ruled today.

OCTOBER 2, 2026

Stark County Family Court Magistrate Transitions to Judgeship

A magistrate from the Stark County Common Pleas Court rises into a new role this week after Judge Rosemarie A. Hall retired on Sept. 30.

SEPTEMBER 17, 2026

Chief Justice Sharon L. Kennedy Delivers Annual State of the Judiciary
Constitution Day address highlights the enduring importance of an independent judiciary

Chief Justice Sharon L. Kennedy of the Supreme Court of Ohio delivered her annual State of the Judiciary address to the Ohio Judicial Conference, offering reflections on the role of an independent judiciary as the state's highest-ranking judicial officer.

OCTOBER 16, 2026

Legal Legacy: How an Orange Vest Became a Constitutional Issue

On a November day in 1994, Joas Bontrager and his brother, members of the Old Order Amish faith, were hunting deer on family farmland during gun season. Ohio law requires gun hunters to wear bright orange clothing for public safety reasons. However, Bontrager chose not to wear the orange vest as it conflicted with their religious beliefs, which included avoiding brightly colored clothing. Bontrager was cited for violating the regulation, launching a case that questioned whether the state could mandate the wearing of hunter-orange clothing if it conflicts with someone’s religious principles.

SEPTEMBER 18, 2026

From the Locker Room to the Bench: Justices With Athletic Roots

Before they donned robes, some Supreme Court of Ohio justices first suited up as college athletes.

SEPTEMBER 16, 2026

Legal Legacy: Ohio Court Decides Landmark Case on School Sports Eligibility

Forty-five years ago today, on Sept. 16, 1981, the First District Court of Appeals decided a landmark case in Ohio concerning issues of education and equal protection. Menke v. Ohio High School Athletic Association considered whether students are eligible to play sports in a state where the student does not reside. The court grappled with the issue of whether playing school sports is part of a student’s right to an education.