We post links to news-worthy articles on this page. Be sure to let us know of interesting developments in the Ohio court system by posting them on this page.

Licking County, Ohio, Clerk of Courts had notified the founder of Courtroom Sunshine of their plan to begin charging fees for documents delivered under Ohio Open Records requests. Beginning January 2016, they were going to slap a $2 per emailed document plus $1 per page of each document…with payment due in advance. As we were preparing to begin legal action against the county, Randy Ludlow, Statehouse Reporter for the Columbus Dispatch heard about this potential encroachment to our Open Records rights, and contacted Licking County Clerk of Courts Gary Walters. Mr. Walters met with the Licking County Prosecutor Kenneth Oswalt, and it was wisely decided not to pursue this course of action. This is excellent news for all Ohioans. Had Licking County proceeded, it could have spread to every county in Ohio. This would have effectively shut down the public’s right to secure and monitor our government through Ohio’s Open Records laws.

A big “Thank You” to the Columbus Dispatch’s Randy Ludlow, Statehouse Reporter, for taking an immediate interest in this development. Had he not, Courtroom Sunshine fully expected to take this to court. And that could have been interesting; taking a court to court for violations of Ohio’s Open Records Laws.

The Ohio Coalition for Open Government (OCOG):
Courtroom Sunshine is now a proud member of The Ohio Coalition for Open Government (OCOG) which is operated for charitable and educational purposes by conducting and supporting activities to benefit those who seek compliance with public access laws. The activities of the Coalition include monitoring government officials for compliance, filing “amicus” briefs in lawsuits, litigation and public education.
http://ohioopengov.com/about/

Judicial Candidate in Licking County, Ohio, Philip Proctor, was once sanctioned for acting as a whistleblower by reporting a Delaware County, Ohio, judge who he felt was violating ethics standards.  Here is more information about this candidate. 

Judges ARE responsible for Magistrate’s orders: On occasion, we at Courtroom Sunshine will hear in defense of a judge’s egregious custody rulings “a Judge simply does not have the time to read or follow-up on all of the rulings rendered by their staff Magistrates”. We here at Courtroom Sunshine have always maintained that a Judge is the elected or appointed official of the Court and the Magistrates are simply hired hands who report to the seated Judge. We now have proof of this being correct. This is a must read about a Judge in Cincinnati who did not take the time to check their Magistrate’s work. Judge responsible for Magistrate’s Rulings

Entitled to Day in Court: The Ohio Supreme Court has agreed to review a state appeals decision regarding the use of traffic cameras to issue tickets. “The cited people denied their statutorily and constitutionally protected day in court.” Newark Advocate, Dec 9, 2013

The Cost of Getting Elected: More money being spent on Judge elections – Gannett Nov 9 2013

Constitutional Rights Denied by Judge:  Judge David Branstool Violated Defendant’s Constitutional Right to Due Process – Advocate – Nov 15, 2013