What comes to mind when you think of the Ohio Supreme Court? Austere looking men and women wearing black robes, sitting in large chairs, listening to attorneys pontificate about obscure or mundane matters of law, all of which have little bearing on your life?

Parts of this portrayal may be accurate, but the idea that the actions of the Supreme Court have no relevance to your life is most certainly not.

The judgments made by the Court have implications beyond just the parties involved in each individual case. Their decisions reverberate throughout society and can have significant consequences for our state’s economic climate, affecting all Ohioans.

You may not be aware of it, but Court decisions can, directly or indirectly, impact the cost of the goods and services you purchase and consume, the cost and availability of health care, the cost of education and other public services, and the cost of running a business.

In recent years, Ohio Supreme Court decisions on school funding, civil justice reform, workers’ compensation, and other major issues refocused attention on the judiciary. Throughout the 1990’s and into the early years of the 21st century, Ohio’s highest court strayed from its traditional role of applying the law to becoming the final authority on various public policy matters in Ohio, hijacking legislative authority in the process.

With significant changes on the Supreme Court since 2002, there are indications this trend, which had a negative effect on Ohio’s economic competitiveness, is waning.

Learn More:
• Meet the Ohio Supreme Court Justices
• The Duties of the Ohio Supreme Court
• Evaluating the Justices & the Court
• Ohio’s Courts of Appeals


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