June 5, 2009
Judicial Leadership Group Reviews Survey for Local Court Data
A group representing leaders of the legal and judicial community – chaired by Supreme Court of Ohio Chief Justice Thomas J. Moyer – today reviewed a survey that will help build a statewide depository of information on local courts’ budgetary issues, staffing levels and court operations.
The Judicial Branch Leadership group is made up of the heads of the major judicial associations who meet regularly with the Chief Justice and Supreme Court Administrative Director Steven C. Hollon to discuss issues of common concern for improvement of the judicial system.
Present at Friday’s meeting were the heads of the Ohio Courts of Appeals Judges Association, Ohio Common Pleas Judges Association, Ohio Association of Domestic Relations Judges, Ohio Association of Juvenile Court Judges, Ohio Association of Probate Judges, Association of Municipal/County Judges of Ohio, Ohio Judicial Conference, Ohio Association of Magistrates, Ohio Clerks of Court Association and the Ohio Association for Court Administration.
Also in attendance were the leaders of the Ohio Prosecuting Attorneys Association, the Ohio State Bar Association, the Metropolitan Bar Association, and Ohio Attorney General Richard Cordray.
Resulting from an idea generated by the Ohio Judicial Branch Leadership group, the survey will attempt to fill a void in information about local courts in the state. It will be distributed electronically to local courts later this year.
“There currently is not a standardized, statewide system for collecting this type of critical data,” said Supreme Court Administrative Director Steven C. Hollon. “This will provide courts with valuable information for budgeting, management and other administrative decisions.”
The electronic survey will be similar to the technology survey that local courts complete every other year. Hollon said the first year’s survey will focus on staffing numbers including the most common staffing questions about court administrators, magistrates and staff attorneys/law clerks. Other portions of the survey will address court organizational structures, funding/budgets, court costs and filing fees.
Local courts will have the ability to query the data. The availability of the data will also ensure accurate information when comparing similar courts to each other.
Local courts will be asked to update their information annually. It’s anticipated that additional questions will be added each year eliminating the burden of filling out an extensive survey the first year.
Also at Friday’s meeting, attorneys for the Supreme Court presented on the new rules on governing public access to court records (Sup. R. 44-47), which will go into effect July 1. The rules define different types of records and create a strong presumption of openness while balancing privacy and other interests.
Supreme Court staff are conducting free, Web-based training on the rules. For more information visit: www.supremecourt.ohio.gov/recordstraining.
Contact: Chris Davey or Bret Crow at 614.387.9250.