New & Improved Ohio Supreme Court Website

As mentioned last week, the Ohio Supreme Court unveiled its new website design yesterday.

"Visitors will notice a more user-friendly design targeted to a larger judicial audience," the Court's announcement read. Court Administrative Director Steven C. Hollon also noted that users should also be aware of the slightly revised URL or website address to http://www.supremecourt.ohio.gov/

"The simplified URL results in a cleaner look and eliminates the run-on-wording of the previous one. The ohio.gov ending also places the Court in the mainstream with executive branch state agencies," Hollon said
As was noted last week, though, while every effort will be made to provide "automatic redirects," it is recommended that users take the time to update their bookmarks. Court staff members also will begin using a new email address convention today reflecting the new URL with a slight variation: firstname.lastname@sc.ohio.gov

Hollon continued by saying, "With the changes made we hope to establish the Court's Web site as the preeminent source for news and information about the Ohio judicial system, increasing the amount of space available for displaying news and images on the Home page and are working with our justice system partners to include more and more news from non-Supreme Court sources."

While the entire site is not necessarily designed for public use, in addition to more distinctive "buttons" linking to Ohio Supreme & Appellate Courts decisions, and the High Court's upcoming oral arguments calendar, tabs also link to information on:

• Ø The Ohio Supreme Court's template guides to assist local courts in emergency & disaster planning, first posted last week, are part of the new design.


• Ø On Jan. 22, 2009, the Supreme Court announced adopting a new rule governing court-appointed guardians. "While some courts had local rules regarding guardians ad litem," its press release stated, "this is the first state rule that sets standards regarding the appointment, responsibilities, training & reporting requirements." That undertaking followed a 2002 task force report on the matter.


• Ø Commenced in October 2002, the Judicial Conference's Court Technology Committee recognized that there was "no mechanism in place for a statewide networking of courts, staffing the development & maintenance of technology and technical standards at the Supreme Court, or funding technology in courts that didn't have adequate local funding sources." While not a portal for public use, the project has led to Ohio's courts network. While records and data from all of Ohio's courts are not yet available, all of the courts have access to the system. ( What OCN is )


• Ø In January 2007, Ohio HB 336 created a joint committee comprised of members of the legislature, judges, clerks of court, court administrators, and attorneys to "study the determination, assessment, collection, and allocation of court costs & filing fees in criminal & civil actions in Ohio, including amounts paid by parties to civil actions or defendants in criminal actions." That committee's July 2008 report and its recommendations have now been made more readily accessible on the Court's website.


• Ø On April 25, 2007, Chief Justice Thomas Moyer addressed the Ohio General Assembly in part announcing that he and Ohio Governor Ted Strickland would be jointly hosting a summit in May 2008 aimed at improving the state's children services. The summit will be comprised of teams from each Ohio county, including juvenile court judges, representatives from children's or family & job service boards, county commissioners, teachers and other school officials. Each county will be required to submit an action plan within 3 months of the summit detailing steps they intend to take to improve their county's response to children at risk, within a follow-up conference proposed 18 months after that to check progress. The Court's link contains registration and other pertinent information to this endeavor.


• Ø Foreclosures are major problems during this economic crisis. But as early as December 2007 Chief Justice Moyer issued a statement to Ohio attorneys urging them to offer pro bono services to courts, homeowners, and lenders in addressing what he even then saw as "more than a legal problem, but a social issue." Last January, the Supreme Court's Dispute Resolution Section announced the availability in all of Ohio's 88 counties of a mediation model program as an alternative to regular foreclosure proceedings. The first of its kind model in the country provides local courts with step-by-step directions to foreclosure mediation programs. The Court's website revision links to sources and information in the state’s effort to stem the foreclosure rates.