Ohio Indigent Death Penalty Representation Rule Amendments

The Ohio supreme court announced the adoption of amendments to its rules for the appointment of counsel for indigent defendants in capital cases today. They take effect March 1. (Announcement)

Former Rules of Superintendence 20 and 21 pertained to the appointment of counsel for indigent defendants in capital cases at the trial and appeals level respectively. The amendments among other things clarify the amount of specialized training needed to serve as lead or co-counsel or appellate counsel in indigent capital cases, and push back the date from July 1 to Dec. 31 when the Rule 20 Committee will revoke certification for attorneys who are out of compliance with specialized training requirements for the prior two-year period.

The new rules can be accessed here.


The Supreme Court's Committee on the Appointment of Counsel for Indigent Defendant Cases – which administers requirements of Rule 20 of the Rules of Superintendence for the Courts of Ohio, including the certification of attorneys who are eligible to be appointed to represent indigent capital defendants – has additional information, roster of eligible attorneys, and several forms (including the application for certification to represent indigent persons) on its website @ http://www.supremecourt.ohio.gov/Boards/Rule20/default.asp