The Ohio Supreme Court will accept public comment until Oct. 26 on amendments to the annual update to the Rules of Practice and Procedure, including those concerning grand juries.

Amendments to Criminal Rule 6 would outline what constitutes a grand jury’s “record,” who may have access to that record, and establish a process and set the standards a petitioner must meet to obtain access to records when a grand jury returns a no bill. The changes were recommended by the Task Force to Examine Improvements to the Ohio Grand Jury System, which was established to maintain the public’s trust and confidence in grand juries.

The annual rules update also includes amendments to the appellate procedure, civil procedure, criminal procedure, and traffic rules, and the Ohio Rules of Evidence. The amendments were proposed by the Commission on the Rules of Practice and Procedure in Ohio Courts.

According to the Ohio Constitution, proposed amendments to the Rules of Practice and Procedure must be filed with the General Assembly by Jan. 15, 2017 in order for the amendments to take effect on July 1, 2017. Typically, the commission publishes the amendments for two rounds of public comment.

Publication of these proposed amendments for public comment at this time does not imply that the Supreme Court endorses or will approve for filing with the General Assembly any or all of the proposed amendments.

Public comment should be submitted in writing or via email to:

Jess Mosser, Policy Counsel
Ohio Supreme Court
65 S. Front St., Seventh Floor
Columbus, OH 43215
or
Jesse.Mosser@sc.ohio.gov

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