After July 11, there are no more oral arguments until August 21. Unlike the U.S. Supreme Court, which begins the first Monday in October and ends June 30, the Ohio Supreme Court does not officially have “terms”.  But in recent years, it has taken some time off from its regular docket during the summer.  Also unlike the U.S. Supreme Court, the Ohio high court does not have to decide all the cases it has heard during the year before it goes into summer recess.

I think our justices need some time off to recharge their batteries.  But then, I’m an academic, and we have summers off. And not hearing oral arguments doesn’t mean the justices aren’t working—there are many submitted cases still to be decided. Judging from my blog, the most anxiously awaited is a decision in ACS v. Leadscope, which was argued September 7.  I suspect a serious split on that one.

Also, the fact that Justice Stratton has announced her intention to step down at year’s end may affect the schedule to some extent.  Any case in which she has participated needs to be decided by then, and at some point, she may stop sitting on new cases. I seem to recall that when Justice Alice Robie Resnick decided to call it quits, she stopped sitting around Labor Day. The Chief Justice can substitute an appellate judge for Justice Stratton at some point, although the Court tends to prefer its elected judges on significant cases. 

 

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