BLHS to host off-site court program

CONNORVILLE -- Students will have an opportunity to witness Ohio's judicial system in action when Buckeye Local High School hosts the state Supreme Court this month.

The school will participate in the Off-Site Court program and the seven justices will preside over three cases in the school theater on Oct. 25. About 500 students from school districts in Jefferson and Harrison counties as well as homeschools will be able to watch the system at work during the 30-minute sessions, plus they will take part in a question-and-answer portion with Chief Justice Sharon L. Kennedy and Justices Patrick F. Fischer, R. Patrick DeWine, Michael P. Donnelly, Melody J. Stewart, Jennifer Brunner and Joseph T. Deters as well as breakout meetings with the attorneys. It is a public hearing and the public may also attend and events start around 9 a.m.

Among the cases to be presented are the State of Ohio v. Jessica F. Dunlap/State of Ohio v. Je'Brel D.T. Lewis from Geauga County, where a car owner and driver both without a valid driver's license were stopped and the car was impounded and searched. A gun was in the car and the couple is seeking to suppress the evidence of charges of improper handling of a firearm in a car; Randy Ludlow v. Ohio Department of Health from Franklin County, where a reporter requested data from the Ohio Department of Health of names, addresses and causes of death from death certificates of people who died early in the pandemic. The state sent limited information that excluded names. The reporter is arguing the information in the database is not "protected health information;" and Craig D. Corder, et al. v. Ohio Edison Co. from Harrison County, in which Ohio Edison wants to spray herbicide on Corder's land underneath the company's high voltage power lines and has an easement to access the area. The 1948 easement says the company can "trim, cut and remove" vegetation. Corder is an organic farmer and says the power company can cut but not use herbicide. Ohio Edison is arguing "remove" allows spraying. Summaries that preview the cases in full in layman's terms will be released to the public on Oct. 17 at CourtNewsOhio.gov.

The Off-Site Court program is designed to educate high school students and other Ohioans about the state's judicial system. Events are held each spring and fall and the program was initially set for Buckeye Local in 2020 before being halted by COVID. Principal Lucas Parsons said the plans are back on with coordination by Jefferson County Common Pleas Court Judge Michelle Miller.

"Every high school in Jefferson County will be invited and our building will be on lockdown during the event with the Ohio State Highway Patrol providing safety," said Parsons. "I'm very glad they decided to come back. We're really looking forward to it."

Miller joined Parsons and law enforcement officials for a walkthrough of the building Sept. 22 to assess security needs for the event. Among those on hand were Jefferson County Sheriff Fred J. Abdalla Jr. and Capt. Tommy Koehnlein; Commander Robert Bodo of the Ohio State Highway Patrol; BLHS School Resource Officer Deputy Rodney Roe and civic education coordinator Jake Eckelberry; court Marshal Rod Tyler; and Security Services Coordinator Chelsey Stillwell with the Ohio Supreme Court.

Miller was equally thrilled to have the justices visit the area and has coordinated efforts during the past few years. She was asked if county schools could hold court when she first got into office and made it her mission to see it happen.

"I sent a letter to the Supreme Court requesting they come to Jefferson County. Their program has been in existence for 30 years, but they have never been to Jefferson County," she recalled. "We were originally scheduled for April 2020, but it was delayed due to the pandemic. They only do one or two a year. We kept reaching out and got a notification they were reinstituting the program and we'd be in the fall session."

She hoped to have 500 juniors and seniors involved from Buckeye Local, Edison, Steubenville, Indian Creek, Toronto, Catholic Central, Jefferson County Christian School, Harrison Central and homeschooled students. The pupils will also meet with local attorneys ahead of time to get informed about the cases they will witness.

"The focus is to educate students about the functioning and purpose of the Supreme Court," she added.

Lyn Tolan, director of public information for the court, said the court was the last resort for appeals of lower court decisions. Cases taken at the discretion of the court are based on Constitutional issues or questions of law of great public interest.

"The Off-Site Court program brings these highest-level appeals to local communities so that citizens can witness firsthand, the appellate process," Tolan added. "Through a program of civic education for high school students, teachers and attorneys educate the students about the judicial system and the cases to be presented, while students have an opportunity to meet the justices, hear an oral argument and debrief with case attorneys. The Supreme Court encourages young people to explore a career in the law and to bring that expertise back to serve their community."

The program, which was established in 1987 by Chief Justice Thomas J. Moyer, has taken the judiciary in person to local communities across Ohio for more than 35 years, enabling 43,064 Ohioans, 34,094 of them students, to have had the opportunity to personally observe the proceedings of the Supreme Court. Citizens have been able to interact with justices, attorneys and court staff during the course of 81 events. Tolan said the Off-Site Court is held in the spring each year and often in the fall as well. In addition to the local community members being invited to observe the court in action, the oral arguments are live streamed to provide maximum access to Ohioans.

Tolan continued that the Off-Site Court has inspired current students to seek a future career in law.

"Judge Dean Wilson of Perry County Municipal Court makes a compelling case for Off-Site Court and how it serves the future of the bar in the county where it is held. Wilson says there were nine high school students who participated in the Off-Site Court in their county and were so drawn to what they saw, and they decided to enter the legal profession," she commented. "If students never met a lawyer or a judge, it may not occur to them that a legal career might be an option. We hope Off-Site Court helps them picture the contribution they can make to their community through a career in law. And at the very least, they will be more informed citizens after participating in the program."

The Off-Site Court is eyed to visit all 88 counties as part of the program with plans to head to Jackson County this spring.