The Ohio Supreme Court’s Office of the Clerk recently released the Court’s Annual Statistics Report for the 2024 calendar year. Keep reading for the most up-to-date information on Supreme Court case volumes and trends in operational efficiency that have helped streamline case timelines.

Case clearance and acceptance rates for merit-based jurisdictional appeals in the Supreme Court fell in 2024

The calendar year 2024 marked a decline in the Ohio Supreme Court’s case clearance rate. As of Dec. 31, 2024, 1,718 out of 1,803 total filed cases had been disposed, culminating in case clearance rate of 95% – a notable decrease from the previous year’s 108% clearance rate. This type of reduction isn’t unusual in an election year, where the Court tries to wrap up its work early so that campaigning justices can campaign and resolve outstanding matters before a justice leaves the bench.

Meanwhile, the rate of jurisdictional appeals accepted for review on the merits has reached its lowest point since 2020. Of the 972 cases filed, only 98 were accepted for review, indicating a mere 10% acceptance rate. 

Case volumes and pro se filing rates reach decade highs

In 2024, a total of 1,803 cases were filed in the Supreme Court, marking a 9% increase since 2023.

The number of pro se litigants composing this total reached a new high. In 2024, pro se litigants initiated 891 cases total – a 12% increase from last year’s 792 – accounting for 49.4% of all filings. And before you assume that pro se filings are meritless, take a look at State of Ohio ex rel. Brian M. Ames v. Crestwood Local School District Board of Education, et al., in which Brian Ames – a pro se litigant – successfully appealed a judgment issued by the Eleventh District Court of Appeals denying his petition for a writ of mandamus under the Public Records Act (R.C. 149.43).

Case timelines continue to accelerate since 2022

The 2024 calendar year also featured increasingly precipitous timelines at the Supreme Court.

Timelines between preliminary and final stages of appeal reduced significantly in 2024. The average time between briefing and oral argument reached a decade low of 76 days, marking a 31% decrease from the 2023 calendar year.

Accelerated timelines between key stages of the appellate process also reduced the average time-to-decision in 2024. Cases filed in Ohio’s Supreme Court took an average of 124 days for disposition, the fastest timeline from case filing to final judgment since 2021. This new pace represents a 13% decrease in time-to-decision from the 2023 average of 143 days and an 18% decrease from the slowest case lifecycle of the decade in 2022.

However, the turnaround time for written opinions poses an exception to this speedier trend. Compared to the previous calendar year, the wait time for a written decision increased by about 20% in 2024.

E-filing perhaps to thank for streamlined operational efficiency

The Supreme Court’s consistent overall efficiency and abridged turnaround times in the 2024 calendar year may be attributable to the growing adoption of electronic (“e”) filing. While the rate of total e-filings remained stable amongst attorneys (increasing from 95% in 2023 to 96% in 2024), pro se litigants e-filed at a higher rate than in previous years. Out of a total of 11,491 total filings in 2024, 35% were e-filings submitted pro se – a sizable increase from last year’s 27%.

Only time will tell if e-filings are directly responsible for the milestones in time-to-decision that typified the 2024 calendar year.

As always, the Annual Statistics Report provides useful information in prognosticating the time to resolve a jurisdictional appeal as well as an appeal considered fully on the merits. The increase in e-filing among pro se participants is a welcome change.

Thanks to Porter Wright’s Summer Associate Abby Goldman for today’s post regarding the latest case statistics reported from the Ohio Supreme Court.