Ohio Supreme Court to Discontinue Ohio App./Ohio Misc. Print Reporter

The Ohio Supreme Court announced that it will discontinue bound volumes of Ohio appeals court and trial court decisions as of July 1, 2012.  Proposed rules which will make this change are available for public comment until May 22, 2012.  Appellate opinions will continue to be made available on the Supreme Court’s web site.    The proposed amendments to the Supreme Court Rules for Reporting Opinions include the following edits:

Rule 4 3.         “Controlling” and “Persuasive” Designations Based on Form of Publication Abolished; Use of Opinions.

(A)       Notwithstanding the prior versions of these rules, designations of, and distinctions between, “controlling” and “persuasive” opinions of the courts of appeals based merely upon whether they have been published in the Ohio Official Reports are abolished.

(B)       All court of appeals opinions issued after the effective date of these rules May 1, 2002 may be cited as legal authority and weighted as deemed appropriate by the courts without regard to whether the opinion was published or in what form it was published. …

Rule 9 7.         Posting Trial and of Appellate Court and Court of Claims Opinions on the Supreme Court Website as of July 1, 2012.

(A)       Beginning May 1, 2002, court of appeals and trial court opinions will be posted on the The Supreme Court hereby designates the Supreme Court website pursuant to a protocol to be developed by the Court. Thereafter, as the Ohio Official Reports for appellate court and Court of Claims opinions posted to the Supreme Court website pursuant to this rule shall be kept permanently on the website for access by the public as of July 1, 2012.