Ohio

1st Black Woman Headed to Ohio Supreme Court, Which Will Have 4-3 Female Majority

Born to a teenage single mother in Ohio who worked two jobs to provide for the family, Yvette McGee Brown has soared far above what might have been predicted for her based on where she started in life. McGee Brown earned her law degree at Ohio State University in 1985…

Dec 10, 2010 9:44 PM CST

‘Hyper-Realistic’ Mask Results in Arrest of Wrong Suspect; His Own Mom Was Fooled, Lawman Says

A small California company makes very realistic—and very expensive—masks. But they’re worth it, some criminals have apparently decided, according to the Los Angeles Times. By paying $600 to $1,200 for one of the “hyper-realistic” face coverings, they are able to masquerade persuasively as someone entirely different. In Ohio, a white…

Dec 9, 2010 6:49 PM CST

Cleveland Prosecutor, Cops Sued Over Release of Suspect Later Accused of 11 Murders

A wrongful death suit targets the city of Cleveland, several police officers and an assistant prosecutor for the release of a suspect later accused of killing 11 people. The suit was filed on behalf of five of the victims found in the home of sex offender Anthony Sowell, according to…

Dec 9, 2010 12:33 PM CST

Judges Can Have Facebook Friends, with ‘Constant Vigil,’ Says Ohio Supreme Court Board

An Ohio judge is allowed to have Facebook friends, the Board of Commissioners on Grievances and Discipline of the state’s top court held today. But doing so requires “constant vigil,” the board says in its written opinion, because “a judge must maintain dignity in every comment, photograph and other information…

Dec 9, 2010 12:15 AM CST

‘Tis the Season for Holiday Parties—and Booze-Fueled Employee Missteps

At those firms lucky enough to partake in office celebrations this holiday season, employees should be extra vigilant against “alcohol-induced stupidity,” warns one law firm partner. “There are no statistics out there to prove this point, but the traditional office holiday party has to be among the top places where…

Nov 30, 2010 9:27 PM CST

Inmates’ Last Words May Be Edited Under New Ohio Prison Rule

Ohio prison officials say they had no objection to a death-row inmate’s 17-minute prayer before his execution, but they did see the potential for future problems. Now they have a solution: A new prison rule allows the warden to place reasonable restrictions on final statements and to cut off statements…

Nov 19, 2010 5:26 PM CST

Lawyer Arrested at Office in Federal Child Porn Sting Gets 24 Months

Arrested last year at his law office in a federal child porn sting, a Dayton, Ohio, attorney who allegedly transmitted sexually explicit material from his office and home computers over the Internet to two undercover law enforcement officers posing as minors has pleaded guilty and was sentenced today to 24…

Nov 5, 2010 4:21 PM CDT

Ohio Jail Wrongfully Uses Stun Gun on Naked, Disabled and Pregnant Inmates, DOJ Says in Filing

The U.S. Department of Justice has weighed in on an ongoing federal civil rights suit in Ohio, asking to join in a complaint brought by a state agency over stun gun use by jail personnel in Franklin County. Guards unconstitutionally are shocking inmates to “soften up” those who pose no…

Nov 4, 2010 11:24 PM CDT

Cleveland Solo Takes His Civ Pro Case Before the Justices

Cleveland lawyer David Eduard Mills was warned that he probably wouldn’t get very far into his oral argument at the U.S. Supreme Court before receiving a question from the bench. On Monday, it was a matter of eight seconds. “I’m sorry to interrupt so quickly,” Chief Justice John G. Roberts…

Nov 1, 2010 10:36 PM CDT

The Long Shot

A Cleveland solo’s life is about to change as his practice expands from a spare bedroom in his apartment to the U.S. Supreme Court

Nov 1, 2010 9:59 AM CDT

Death Penalty Conviction Axed, New Trial Ordered Due to Judge’s Bias Against Defense Counsel

In what the Ohio Supreme Court describes in a slip opinion (PDF) today as a “highly extraordinary” case, it has vacated a death penalty conviction and ordered a new murder trial because of the trial judge’s bias against defense counsel. As Judge Douglas Rastatter of the Clark County Court of…

Oct 26, 2010 9:22 PM CDT

Court Allows Pregnant 17-Year-Old to Marry; Mom Says Judge ‘Stole My Daughter’

An Ohio judge has allowed a pregnant 17-year-old girl to marry against the wishes of her parents because the youth said she feared they would force her to have an abortion. Judge Alan Acker of Franklin County probate court waived the state requirements for counseling and parental consent and allowed…

Oct 25, 2010 12:45 PM CDT

Juror’s Revelation that She Was 911 Caller Stuns Ohio Courtroom, Forces Mistrial

A mistrial was declared on Tuesday after an Ohio juror hearing a domestic violence case stunned the courtroom with her revelation that she was the anonymous 911 caller who reported the crime. Najah Johnson-Riddle stopped the trial during opening statements, telling the courtroom she couldn’t sit on the jury because…

Oct 20, 2010 4:36 PM CDT

Dozens Arrested in $100M Medicare Case Bust; Doctor & Patient IDs Allegedly Stolen

Developing: Perhaps 100 people have been arrested in California, Georgia, Ohio, New Mexico and New York, in a record-breaking Medicare fraud case that allegedly involved $100 million in bogus billings and the use of stolen doctor and patient identities. Some 40 individuals were arrested in New York alone and an…

Oct 13, 2010 6:42 PM CDT

Ohio School Plagued by Suicides Faces Two Lawsuits Over Bullying Response

A suburban Ohio school district that lost three high school youths to suicides and a fourth to an antidepressant overdose is facing lawsuits from two of the families who say the school failed to prevent the bullying that contributed to their deaths. A lawyer for the grieving families, Ken Myers,…

Oct 12, 2010 3:11 PM CDT