50 Years of Excellence in Judicial Education
2025
Continuous Improvement: The Judicial College begins a comprehensive review of the New Judges Orientation program to ensure it continues to meet the evolving needs of Ohio's judiciary.
2024
Increase in Self-Study Hours: The cap of 12 hours on self-study hours is raised to 20 hours, effective for all judges and magistrates.
2023
Custody Evaluators: The Judicial College launches program for custody evaluators, who are licensed, objective, impartial, qualified mental health professionals that a court appoints to perform a child custody evaluation. To qualify for a court appointment, a custody evaluator must complete 40 hours of initial training from the Supreme Court.
2020
Adapting to Needs: The College pivoted to meet the needs of its audiences during the global pandemic. College staff took steps to convert certain in-person courses to virtual formats and boosted the number of webinars offered.
2019
Orientation for Magistrates: The Magistrate Orientation Program becomes mandatory and the hours required increase from 24 to 40 hours biennially.
2017
The Judicial College launches OhioCourtEDU, a centralized online learning portal to simplify registration for courses and to take online classes.
2015
Adult Guardians: In June, rules take effect to protect vulnerable adults who are under the care of guardians. To help guardians comply with the mandate, the College develops fundamental and continuing education courses. Tracks are developed for attorneys and non-attorney professional guardians as well as for layperson guardians, who are often family members, friends, or volunteers. In the first year, nearly 11,000 guardians are educated through the College.
2014
Probation Officers: The Judicial College launches mandatory education for new probation officers.
2011
Judicial eCademy: The College leverages the internet to elevate the services provided to its diverse audiences. Judicial eCademy not only enables all people to register online for both live and web-based courses, but also offers webinars and makes pre-recorded courses available on demand.
2009
Guardians ad Litem: The Supreme Court adopts a rule setting standards for guardians ad litem, who are appointed to represent a child’s best interests in a legal dispute concerning the minor’s custody or welfare. The College provides the mandated pre-service and annual education.
2007
Orientation Program for Judges: The New Judges Orientation is made mandatory for judges newly elected to serve Ohio courts. The program is extended to four parts.
2002
National Certification Program: The Judicial College partners with National Center for State Courts to offer intensive training for national-level certifications as a certified court manager or a certified court executive through the Court Management Program.
1996
Audience-Need Model of Education: Leaders at the College expand faculty development and curriculum-based education, which focuses on what the audience needs to know and do, as well as the different experience levels of participants. The model forms the cornerstone that informs the College’s development of courses going forward.
1992
Orientation for New Judges: The College develops a day-and-a-half, voluntary orientation for newly elected judges before they take the bench. Topics address caseflow management, working with the public, and judicial ethics. The College continues a decades-old, annual “New Judges School” for all judges each year after they’re sworn in.
1990
Court Personnel Education: To offer more educational opportunities for non-judicial court managers and staff, the College creates a committee made up of Ohio Association for Court Administration members, probation officers, court reporters, and others. Out of its work comes courses tailored for these audiences on topics such as the Americans with Disabilities Act and jury management.
1989
New Home: The College is moved under the Supreme Court umbrella, and the board of trustees’ composition and terms are defined by rule.
1988
Education for Referees: The Judicial College expands its audience to include courses to assist referees, now called magistrates. The earliest classes focus on their role in courts and the rules of evidence.
1981
Mandatory Education for Judges: The Supreme Court adopts a rule requiring judges to complete 20 hours of education each year, including one course from the College. This mandate precedes the continuing education requirements for attorneys by eight years. Today, judges must take 40 hours in each two-year period, while attorneys have to finish 24 hours in that timeframe.
1977
Inaugural Courses: The College’s first course updates judges on drunk driving laws after stricter statutes are enacted in the 1970s. The College holds the course in nine locations statewide, and 151 judges attend. They pay no tuition to take the course, which includes lunch and reimbursement of travel expenses.
1976
Doors Open: Franklin County Municipal Court Judge R. Patrick West begins corresponding with Supreme Court of Ohio Justice C. William O’Neill in the early 1970s about a statewide organization that would design and offer specialized education to judges. After receiving a federal grant, the Supreme Court establishes the Ohio Judicial College in June 1976. The College is governed by a board of trustees and has one employee the first year.