NCJ Number
73558
Journal
Ohio State Law Journal Volume: 41 Issue: 3 Dated: (1980) Pages: 675-682
Date Published
1980
Length
8 pages
Annotation
The three Ohio reporter systems which publish decisions of the Ohio courts are the four official reporters and two independently published journals, 'Ohio Opinions,' and the 'North Eastern Reporter.'
Abstract
Only decisions of the Ohio Supreme Court are required by law to be reported. Decisions of the Ohio courts of appeals are reported when selected by the reporter of the supreme court and approved by the chief justice. Consequently, at least 375 decisions that are handed down each month are not officially reported. There are four publications in the official system: (1) the '0hio Bar,' a weekly journal published by the Ohio State Bar Association; (2) 'Ohio State Reports,' the official reporter of the Ohio supreme court; (3) 'Ohio Appellate Reports;' and (4) 'Ohio Miscellaneous Reports,' which record trial court decisions including those of common pleas and municipal courts. The last three documents are periodically bound together as the 'Ohio Official Reports.' The bulk of the 'Ohio State Reports' is devoted to the text of the court opinions and includes the names of the parties, a suggested citation form, an index line for the case, an official synopsis, the docket number, and additional pertinent data. The other two official publications, the appellate and miscellaneous reports are organized along similar lines. One of the unofficial reporters, 'Ohio Opinions,' is published weekly and includes all of the opinions found in the official reporter systems, plus some unofficial appellate court decisions and some Federal cases construing Ohio Law. The 'North Eastern Reporter' contains opinions in the official reporters for Ohio and tables of cumulative cases reported and statutes construed, as well as the American Bar Association Standards for Criminal Justice. The development of publications noting unreported courts of appeals decisions, including both criminal and civil cases, benefits lawyers looking for precedent that cannot be found in the reported cases. Eighteen footnotes are provided. (Author abstract modified)