Ohio Judicial Firsts
Most of the American Midwest was created from the Northwest Territory.
1795 Treaty of Greenville
The treaty was an agreement between the United States and the Northwest Indian Confederation, headed by Chief Little Turtle of the Miami Indian tribe by which the Indians ceded most of the future state of Ohio and significant portions of what would become the states of Indiana, Illinois, and Michigan.
American settlers moved into the Northwest Territory in the years following the American Revolution, their advance was opposed by a loose alliance of mainly Algonquin-speaking peoples. The Shawnee and the Delaware, both of whom had been driven west by prior territorial encroachments, joined the Ottawa, Ojibwa, Miami, and Potawatomi in the Northwest Indian Confederation. Led by Little Turtle, the Native American confederation skirmished with settlers and Kentucky militia in the late 1780s.
Chief Little Turtle of the Miami Indian tribe.
Anthony Wayne, commander of U.S. forces in the Northwest Indian War.
On August 3, 1795, Anthony Wayne, commander of U.S. forces in the Northwest Indian War, Little Turtle, and their delegations met at Fort Greenville (now Greenville, Ohio) to conclude the treaty. Both sides agreed to a termination of hostilities and an exchange of prisoners, and Little Turtle authorized a redefinition of the border between the United States and Indian lands. By the terms of the treaty, the confederation ceded all lands east and south of a boundary that began at the mouth of the Cuyahoga River (in modern Cleveland) and extended south to Fort Laurens (modern Bolivar, Ohio) and then west to Fort Recovery. The boundary then continued southwest to the point at which the Kentucky River emptied into the Ohio River (modern Carrollton, Kentucky). In addition, the United States was granted strategically significant parcels of land to the north and west of this line, including the sites of the modern cities of Fort Wayne, Indiana; Lafayette, Indiana; Chicago; Peoria, Illinois; and Toledo, Ohio. The treaty also ceded Mackinac Island and its environs, as well as a large tract of land encompassing much of the area of modern metropolitan Detroit. After the signing of the treaty, Little Turtle advocated cooperation with the United States, but he was roundly criticized by the Shawnee chief Tecumseh, who stated that the so-called “peace” chiefs had given away land that they did not own. Although Tecumseh led a brilliant campaign against the Americans during the War of 1812, his death in 1813 and the disintegration of his pan-Indian confederacy spelled the effective end of organized Indian resistance in the Northwest. [Ray, Michael. "Treaty of Greenville". Encyclopedia Britannica, 14 Sep. 2023, https://www.britannica.com/event/Treaty-of-Greenville. Accessed 27 February 2024.]
The Northwest Territory Ordinance
The Northwest Territory Ordinance was a technical document in many respects, defining land boundaries, establishing an orderly process for the creation of future states, and emphasizing that new states would be equal to – not subservient to – existing ones. “Religion, morality and knowledge being necessary to good government and the happiness of mankind, schools and the means of education shall forever be encouraged.” The Northwest Ordinance made the Ohio River the dividing line between freedom and slavery. Article 3 expressed the spirit of its authors at the time: “The utmost good faith shall always be observed towards the Indians; their lands and property shall never be taken from them without their consent; and, in their property, rights, and liberty, they shall never be invaded or disturbed, unless in just and lawful wars authorized by Congress; but laws founded in justice and humanity, shall from time to time be made for preventing wrongs being done to them, and for preserving peace and friendship with them.”
Home of the Supreme Court of Ohio
1802
The first Ohio constitution, approved before statehood, established the state Supreme Court and courts of common pleas. The three-judge Supreme Court, appointed by the General Assembly held court in each county every year.
1901
The Supreme Court moves from the speaker’s ceremonial office in the Ohio Statehouse to the Statehouse Annex.
1823
The legislature orders the Supreme Court of Ohio to meet annually in Columbus.
1974
The Supreme Court moves from the Statehouse Annex to the James A. Rhodes State Office Tower on East Broad St. across from the Statehouse. The Supreme Court hears oral arguments for the last time in its courtroom on the third floor of the Rhodes Tower on January 14, 2004.
1839
Workers break ground for the first Columbus statehouse where the Supreme Court will eventually reside.
May 15, 2004
The Supreme Court of Ohio dedicates the Ohio Judicial Center at 65 S. Front St., Columbus and opened the new home of the third branch of government with a procession of 170 robed federal and state judges from across Ohio and including Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist of the Supreme Court of the United States.
1857
The Supreme Court moves into the Ohio Statehouse and Occupies what is now the speaker’s ceremonial office.
Dec. 2, 2011
The Supreme Court of Ohio building is rededicated in honor of the late Chief Justice Thomas J. Moyer and named the Thomas J. Moyer Ohio Judicial Center.