Ohio Law

Applying data science to appellate law: Will the probate court’s judgment hold?

By Terry Posey on October 2, 2026

The outcomes from 11 years of probate appeals, county by county, may help answer that key question of keen interest to counsel and their clients

Probate litigators live with a particular kind of uncertainty. The magistrate recommends, the probate judge adopts, and the loser files a notice of appeal. Then everyone waits to learn whether the court of appeals will leave the estate, the guardianship, or the adoption alone. Clients want to know the odds, and most attorneys answer from memory of our last few cases. We decided to count instead.

Analyzing the March 17, 2026 Ohio Supreme Court jurisdictional announcements

By Terry Posey on March 30, 2026

The Ohio Supreme Court’s jurisdictional announcement on March 17, 2026, serves as a stark reminder of the “selective” nature of the discretionary docket. While previous weeks in February and early March showed higher acceptance rates due to held cases, this most recent announcement saw a return to a high-threshold review, particularly in the civil arena. Below, we break down the data from this release, including a practice-area analysis, and how it impacts the 2026 Year-to-Date (YTD) benchmarks for practitioners.

Inside the “black box:” Analyzing the Feb. 17, 2026 jurisdictional announcements

By Terry Posey on February 24, 2026

Welcome back to OhioAppeals.com. For practitioners, the Ohio Supreme Court’s discretionary docket can often feel like a black box. By tracking every yes and no, we aim to provide a data-driven look at how the Supreme Court is shaping its calendar.