Erie County Court Of Common Pleas, Ohio

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The Erie County Court of Common Pleas resides in Ohio. Click on the links below to learn more about the court's...

Jurisdiction
Selection method

Jurisdiction[edit]

This court holds the following jurisdiction:^[1]

“

Courts of Common Pleas are the only trial court created by the Ohio Constitution. They are established by Article IV, Section 1, of the Constitution and their duties are outlined in Article IV, Section 4.

There is a court of common pleas in each of Ohio’s 88 counties. The courts of common pleas have original jurisdiction in all criminal felony cases and original jurisdiction in all civil cases in which the amount in controversy is generally more than $5,000. Courts of common pleas have appellate jurisdiction over the decisions of some state administrative agencies. The divisions below may be combined in some counties.

Court of Common Pleas, General Division – has original jurisdiction over all criminal felony cases, civil stalking protection orders, all civil actions in which the amount in controversy is generally greater than $5,000 and jurisdiction over the appeals of decisions of certain administrative agencies.
Court of Common Pleas, Domestic Relations Division – has original jurisdiction over all proceedings involving divorce or dissolution of marriages, annulment, legal separation, spousal support, domestic and dating violence civil protection orders, and conciliation; the division also determines allocation of parental rights and responsibilities, child support, parenting time, and visitation (for married couples as well as non-parent, third parties to original action).
Court of Common Pleas, Probate Division – In addition to jurisdiction over wills, estate matters, and guardianships, the probate division has jurisdiction over the issuance of marriage licenses, adoption proceedings, determination of sanity or mental competency, name changes and certain eminent domain proceedings. Probate judges also can solemnize marriages within their counties.
Court of Common Pleas, Juvenile Division – has original jurisdiction over cases involving delinquent, unruly, abused, neglected, and dependent children; also hears adult cases involving paternity, child support, allocation of parental rights and responsibilities, and parenting time for unmarried parents. Other cases specific to this division include the following: contributing to the delinquency of minors, failure to send a child to school, grandparent powers of attorney and caretaker authorization affidavits, juvenile traffic, civil protection orders where the respondent is under age 18, involuntary hospitalization for mental illness of a juvenile, county family and children first council agency disputes concerning services or funding, applications for consent to marry by a minor, and authorization to consent to abortion (bypass) by a minor without notification to the minor’s parents.^[2]

”

Selection method[edit]

See also: Judicial selection in the states

See also: Nonpartisan election of judges

The 391 judges of the Ohio Courts of Common Pleas are all selected in an identical manner. Qualified individuals wishing to join the bench must participate in partisan primary elections followed by nonpartisan general elections.^[3]

The chief judges of the Ohio Courts of Common Pleas are chosen by peer vote and serve for one year.^[3]

Qualifications
To serve on an appellate or general jurisdiction court, a judge must be:^[3]

a district or county resident (for court of appeals and common pleas judges);
at least six years practiced in law; and
under the age of 70.

Under the Ohio Constitution, a judge who reaches 70 years of age may be assigned by the chief justice to active duty, receiving payment on a per-day basis in addition to whatever retirement benefits he or she is entitled to.

Judicial elections in Ohio[edit]

See also: Ohio judicial elections

Ohio is one of five states that uses nonpartisan elections, partisan elections, and retention elections to determine whether judges should remain on the bench, depending on the court. To read more about how states use judicial elections to select judges across the country, click here.

Primary election[edit]

In Ohio, primary elections serve to nominate a candidate of a political party for election to an office. The winners of each party's primary go on to face each other in the general election. Primaries are held "on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in May of each year except in years in which a presidential primary election is held."^[4]

External links[edit]

Search Google News for this topic
Ohio courts

Footnotes[edit]

↑ The Supreme Court of Ohio & The Ohio Judicial System, "II. Overview of the Courts," accessed May 19, 2023
↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
↑ ^3.0 ^3.1 ^3.2 American Judicature Society, "Methods of Judicial Selection: Ohio," archived October 3, 2014
↑ Ohio Revised Code, "3501.01 Election Procedure - Election Officials Definitions," accessed September 13, 2017

Ohio courts

Federal courts:

Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals • U.S. District Court: Northern District of Ohio, Southern District of Ohio • U.S. Bankruptcy Court: Northern District of Ohio, Southern District of Ohio

State courts:

Ohio Supreme Court • Ohio District Courts of Appeal • Ohio Courts of Common Pleas • Ohio County Courts • Ohio Municipal Courts • Ohio Court of Claims

State resources:

Courts in Ohio • Ohio judicial elections • Judicial selection in Ohio

[1] The Supreme Court of Ohio & The Ohio Judicial System, "II. Overview of the Courts," accessed May 19, 2023

[quotedisclaimer-2] Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.

[general-3] 3.0 ^3.1 ^3.2 American Judicature Society, "Methods of Judicial Selection: Ohio," archived October 3, 2014

[4] Ohio Revised Code, "3501.01 Election Procedure - Election Officials Definitions," accessed September 13, 2017

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