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Office of the Clerk

E-Filing Search for Supreme Court of Ohio Cases

The Clerk's Office manages all cases filed with the Supreme Court. The office maintains the Court's case files, case dockets, journal, and lower court records; prepares and issues Court orders; schedules oral arguments and the Court's consideration of other case matters; and coordinates inter-agency communication in death penalty cases.

The office is responsible for maintaining and enforcing the Rules of Practice of the Supreme Court of Ohio and recommending appropriate rule amendments to the Court. Deputy clerks, attorneys, and other staff provide assistance on procedural issues to attorneys, litigants, and the public through written communications, phone and office consultations, the publication of answers to frequently asked questions and a guide for presenting oral argument, the posting of helpful Web site information, and seminar presentations.

The Clerk's Office serves as the repository for other documents and filings, including affidavits of disqualification filed against lower court judges, the local rules of practice of other courts, and determinations finding certain persons to be vexatious litigators by the Supreme Court and lower courts.

An affidavit of disqualification is a statutory vehicle through which a litigant or attorney may request the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court to prevent a judge of a municipal court, county court, common pleas court, court of appeals, or court of claims from hearing a specific case. Affidavits may be filed to allege that a judge is interested in a proceeding pending before his or her court, has a bias or prejudice for or against a party to the proceeding or a party's counsel, or is otherwise disqualified to preside.

The filing requirements and relevant procedures are set forth in R.C. 2701.03 and S.Ct.Prac.R. 21.01 through 21.04.  If you have any further questions regarding the filing of an affidavit of disqualification, you may call 614.387.9530 to speak with a deputy clerk.

Ohio Revised Code 2701.03 Disqualification of Common Pleas Judge - Affidavit

S. Ct. Prac. Rule 21.01

Filing Guide for Affidavits of Disqualification

Affidavits may be submitted for filing in person, by delivery service, or by mail at:

Affidavits of Disqualification
Office of the Clerk
Supreme Court of Ohio
65 South Front Street, 8th Floor
Columbus, Ohio 43215-3731

Affidavits may also be emailed to: AOD_Filing@sc.ohio.gov

Pursuant to Ohio Revised Code § 2929.021(A) the clerk of the court in a county in which an indictment is filed that charges one or more counts of aggravated murder with aggravating circumstances shall file a notice with the Supreme Court indicating that the indictment was filed, within fifteen days after the day on which it is filed. Pursuant to Ohio Revised Code § 2929.021(B) the clerk of the court in a county filing a notice of indictment pursuant to § 2929.021(A) shall also file a notice of a plea of guilty, no contest, or dismissal of the indictment, within fifteen days after the day on which the plea or dismissal is filed. The notices shall be in the form prescribed by the clerk of the Supreme Court.

The forms for filing a 2929.021(A) or (B) notice are located below and may be printed out, completed and mailed to the Clerk’s Office.

Pursuant to Ohio Revised Code § 2929.03(F) the court, or panel of three judges, shall file with the clerk of the Supreme Court the opinion that states the specific findings as to the mitigating factors and aggravating circumstances that pertain to the imposition of the sentence of death. The opinion shall be filed within fifteen days after the court or panel imposes the death sentence.

In lieu of mailing the notice or sentencing opinion, clerks of court and courts are encouraged to submit the documents via email. The forms required by R.C. 2929.021 may be completed online, saved to a desktop, and attached to an email sent to the email address indicated at the bottom of the form. Please note that the actual capital indictment may be attached to the email, but the capital indictment may not be substituted in lieu of the notice form provided below. If you have questions please call 614.387.9530 and ask to speak with an Assistant Deputy Clerk.

Form A: Notice of Filing of Capital Indictment
Form B: Notice of Plea or Dismissal of Capital Indictment

The Clerk’s Office maintains a database of all notices of capital indictments filed with the Supreme Court of Ohio since 1980. This database is updated periodically with the notices filed pursuant to the Ohio Revised Code. The database is available by clicking on the link below.

Supreme Court of Ohio Capital Indictment Table

Please note that the database only lists those notices that were filed with the Supreme Court of Ohio, and thus may not include all capital indictments filed in a given county or year. Please contact the specific county to confirm the specific number of capital indictments filed in a given time period.

The Thomas J. Moyer Ohio Judicial Center is open Mondays through Fridays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., except holidays listed below.

Rule 5 of the Rules of Superintendence for Ohio Courts requires each court to file with the Clerk of the Supreme Court a current copy of its local rules of court or a letter certifying that no changes have been made to the most recently submitted rules by Feb. 1 of each year.

Courts may send a current copy of the local rules or a letter certifying that no changes have been made to LocalRules@sc.ohio.gov.

PLEASE NOTE: S. Ct. Prac. Rule 3.09(B)(3) requires:
The text of all documents shall be at least 12-point, double-spaced noncondensed type. Footnotes and quotations may be single-spaced; however, they shall also be in 12-point, noncondensed type. As used in this provision, "noncondensed type" shall refer either to Times New Roman type or to another type that has no more than eighty characters to a line of text.

Please be sure to check the word processing font you are using prior to filing.

Contact Information

Office of the Clerk
Supreme Court of Ohio
65 South Front Street, 8th Floor
Columbus, Ohio 43215-3431

Clerk of the Court:
Robert Vaughn, Esq.

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