Public Comment Period Open on Overall Rule Restructuring, Additional Updates
Changes are proposed to move rules from the Rules of Superintendence to the appropriate Rules of Practice and Procedure.
A set of proposed changes to better organize the rules that govern courts are open for public comment. A public comment period is also open for additional proposals to update appellate and traffic court rules.
The group of proposed amendments for reorganization is the first step in a multipart initiative to move certain rules currently housed in the Rules of Superintendence to the appropriate Rules of Practice and Procedure. The goal of restructuring the Rules of Superintendence is to create a more logical organization, allow for future expansion and contraction of the rules, and identify rules that should be addressed in other rule publications.
The rules that would be relocated out of the Rules of Superintendence to the Rules of Practice and Procedure address court practices and procedures, rather than court operational and administrative matters. The practice and procedure rules encompass five publications – the Rules of Civil Procedure, Rules of Criminal Procedure, Rules of Juvenile Procedure, Rules of Appellate Procedure, and Traffic Rules – and the proposed changes would affect the Civil Rules, Criminal Rules, and Juvenile Rules.
Unrelated to the restructuring initiative, several other changes are proposed for the Rules of Appellate Procedure and the Traffic Rules.
Updates to five appellate rules are offered to provide clarity on various appellate procedures and to account for the increasing availability and usage of electronic filing. Changes to three appellate forms to include current dates and updated case law are also proposed.
The proposed changes to Traffic Rules 2, 3, 4, 7, and 13 have been crafted to comply with recently passed legislation pertaining to R.C. Chapter 2935.
The Commission on the Rules of Superintendence and the Commission on the Rules of Practice and Procedure presented these recommendations to the Supreme Court of Ohio, which approved them for public comment.
Comments on the proposed Superintendence Rule amendments should be sent in writing by Oct. 24, 2025, to:
Keely McWhorter
Supreme Court of Ohio
65 S. Front St.
Columbus, Ohio 43215
OR
Comments on the proposed changes to the Rules of Practice and Procedure should be sent in writing by Oct. 24, 2025, to:
September Coyne
Supreme Court of Ohio
65 S. Front St.
Columbus, Ohio 43215
OR
For comments submitted by email, include your full name and mailing address.