Sept. 15 , 2005
Supreme Court Increases Public Access with Online Link to Case Dockets, Chief Justice Announces
ANNUAL STATE OF THE JUDICIARY ADDRESS HIGHLIGHTS MAJOR INITIATIVES
As part of an ongoing effort by the Supreme Court of Ohio to improve public access to and understanding of the judicial system, Chief Justice Thomas J. Moyer announced today that the public can now view and search the dockets of past and pending Supreme Court cases online.
During his annual State of the Judiciary address at the 2005 Annual Meeting of the Ohio Judicial Conference in Dublin, Chief Justice Moyer unveiled and demonstrated a new link on the Court Web site that allows 24-hour access to the Case Management System for the Court.
The online system allows attorneys, litigants, news media and the general public to search for and view Supreme Court case dockets. Some of the features of the system include the ability to monitor when documents are filed, view Court decisions relating to specific motions, view the final disposition of cases, and access attorney information.
“Open government is the foundation of democracy. At the Supreme Court of Ohio we are working hard to use the latest information technology to make the judicial branch as open and accessible as possible,” Chief Justice Moyer told the 300 judges gathered for the conference luncheon.
The system is available beginning today at www.supremecourt.ohio.gov/Clerk/ecms.
Other information technology initiatives the Supreme Court has launched to increase public access to the Ohio judicial system include the live broadcast of all Supreme Court oral arguments via the Internet, cable television and broadcast digital television, and a Web site application that enables consumers to obtain online information about registered attorneys, including any history of disciplinary violations.
In coming years, the Chief Justice said the Supreme Court plans to move to an electronic filing system that will allow litigants to file briefs and other documents online and that will allow the public to view these items on the Web.
Moyer expressed continuing concern about recent attacks on the independence of the judicial branch of government. “The harshest critics should remember that an independent judiciary is the only institution that can protect the initiatives of the majority while ensuring the rights of the minority; that courts decide controversies that have not been resolved in another forum … (and) that we should expect decisions to be controversial because the heat of the conflict does not dissipate when one party wins and one party loses.”
Noting that deeply felt conflicts over abortion, gay rights, genetic research and personal privacy are increasingly being brought before the state and federal courts for resolution, the Chief Justice called for judges, lawyers and all who are concerned with preserving an impartial judiciary to speak out to remind Americans that an independent judiciary is the best protection of our constitutional legacy.
The Chief Justice also announced an initiative being put in place by the Court in cooperation with Ohio bar associations that will allow lawyers from Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama who have been displaced by Hurricane Katrina to temporarily serve their clients by practicing law from offices in Ohio. He reported that the Court has approved an emergency order suspending the usual bar application rules and attorney registration fees. The order, which will remain in effect until March 15, 2006, allows lawyers from the affected Gulf Coast states who register with the Court to practice in association with an Ohio attorney.
Moyer added that the Supreme Court of Ohio is already working with the National Center for State Courts to assist court officials in Alabama, Florida, Louisiana and Mississippi in re-establishing functioning judicial systems and meeting the legal needs of storm victims.
The Ohio Judicial Conference is an organization through which Ohio judges work together to improve the administration of justice. The annual meeting brings together judges from across the state for judicial education and discussions about issues of common concern.
The text of Chief Justice Moyer's speech is available online at: http://www.supremecourt.ohio.gov/PIO/speeches/2005.
Video is available at: http://www.supremecourt.ohio.gov/videostream.
For a high resolution, publication-quality photo of Chief Justice Thomas J. Moyer, please visit: http://www.supremecourt.ohio.gov/PIO/news/images/justices/moyer_highres.zip.
Contact Dennis Whalen at 614.387.9250.