Ohio Court Watch

Ohio Supreme Court and the juvenile justice system

Ohio Supreme Court Expands Power and Discretion of Adult Courts over Juvenile Cases

November 2, 2026 / Brynn Kemelhar

A divided Ohio Supreme Court has overruled itself and expanded what prosecutors can charge when juvenile cases move to adult court. Before State v. Turner, 2026-Ohio-1996, prosecutors could pursue only charges for which the juvenile court found probable cause. Now, they may pursue any charge a grand jury returns. Complicating matters, the General Assembly had

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Ohio Supreme Court Sides With Trenton Residents Who Wanted a Vote on Data Centers

October 20, 2026 / Drew Bjerken

The court didn’t rule on whether Trenton should allow data centers. Rather, it ruled that the city council broke the law by keeping the question off the ballot in the first place. That distinction is about to matter across the state. Barry Blankenship cried when he heard the news.1 He hadn’t won the underlying fight

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He Will Never Be Himself Again: Two Ohio Judges Turn Single Crimes Into Lifetime Sentences

October 17, 2026 / Drew Bjerken

Two appellate courts upheld decades-long consecutive sentences for men convicted of crimes against children. One dissenting judge says Ohio courts aren’t asking the right question when they stack years on top of years. By Drew Bjerken | Ohio Court Watch | September 2026 | Cases: State v. Grashel, 2025-Ohio-580 (4th Dist.), and State v. Brandel,

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The Court Agreed the Judge Broke the Rules. It Upheld the Sentence Anyway.

October 15, 2026 / Drew Bjerken

A Geauga County man’s silence at sentencing was used against him, a violation of his constitutional rights that the State itself admits. He is still serving 18 to 23 years, because his lawyer never objected. By Drew Bjerken | Ohio Court Watch | September 2026 | Case: State v. Bosman, 2026-Ohio-3503 (11th Dist.) At his

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The Thirteenth Juror Takes a Back Seat

October 10, 2026 / Erin Donovan

Ohio Supreme Court: Appellate judges acting as the “thirteenth juror” keep manifest weight review, but must defer to jury on witness credibility. Ohio law has long recognized that a jury can have enough evidence to convict a defendant and still get the verdict wrong. That is why the Ohio Constitution allows courts of appeals to

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A Transcript Too Costly: Poverty, Proof, and the Post-Conviction Clock

October 10, 2026 / Jazmyne Shaw

For a prisoner earning $12 a month, the cost of a co-defendant’s Ohio court transcript could be what stands between a conviction and a new trial. For 70 years, prisoners have had a constitutional right to a free copy of their own trial transcript. But they have no automatic right to a co-defendant’s transcript. When

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Is a Plea Deal a Promise? Eighth District to Decide

October 10, 2026 / Laura Davies

Ohio woman seeks resentencing, arguing her 5-10-year plea bargain was a bad deal after a judge handed her 15 years behind bars instead. Jasmine Fay was five days from trial and facing 31 years in prison for her role in a fentanyl overdose death when she cut a deal with Cuyahoga County prosecutors. She agreed

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Ohio Innocence Watch Launched at CSU College of Law

July 2, 2026 / Michael P. Donnelly

Today is a proud day for all of us at Ohio Court Watch and CSU College of Law. After many months of planning, research, programming, and teamwork, we are honored to announce the launch of Ohio Innocence Watch: https://oiw.csulaw.org/ Ohio Innocence Watch is built on a simple but powerful idea: justice should never be hidden

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A Review of Fourth Amendment Decisions from the Ohio Supreme Court (2016–2026)

May 28, 2026 / Allison Piskula

An examination of Ohio Supreme Court Fourth Amendment decisions over the past decade reveals consistent patterns in the Court’s analytical approach. A review of nineteen cases decided between 2016 and 2026 revealed that seventy-four percent (74%) were decided in favor of the State, while twenty-six percent (26%) favored the defendant. To determine whether any patterns

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One Trial or Four? Ohio Supreme Court Resolves Severance Dispute

May 5, 2026 / Alana Misseldine

In State v Reed, the Supreme Court of Ohio has ruled that a man convicted of sexually abusing four minors will remain sentenced, holding that the charges were properly tried together rather than in separate trials. Justice R. Patrick DeWine authored the opinion of the court, joined by Chief Justice Sharon L. Kennedy and Justices

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