As Introduced 1
122nd General Assembly 4
Regular Session H. B. No. 444 5
1997-1998 6
REPRESENTATIVES TAYLOR-BENDER-METELSKY 8
10
A B I L L
To amend sections 2301.02 and 2301.03 of the Revised 12
Code to add two judges to the Lorain County Court 13
of Common Pleas, one to be elected to the 14
Division of Domestic Relations of that Court. 15
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF OHIO: 16
Section 1. That sections 2301.02 and 2301.03 of the 18
Revised Code be amended to read as follows: 19
Sec. 2301.02. The number of judges of the court of common 28
pleas for each county, the time for the next election of the 29
judges in the several counties, and the beginning of their terms 30
shall be as follows: 31
(A) In Adams, Ashland, Fayette, and Pike counties, one 33
judge, elected in 1956, term to begin February 9, 1957; 34
In Brown, Crawford, Defiance, Highland, Holmes, Morgan, 36
Ottawa, and Union counties, one judge, to be elected in 1954, 37
term to begin February 9, 1955; 38
In Auglaize county, one judge, to be elected in 1956, term 40
to begin January 9, 1957; 41
In Coshocton, Darke, Fulton, Gallia, Guernsey, Hardin, 43
Jackson, Knox, Logan, Madison, Mercer, Monroe, Morrow, Paulding, 44
Vinton, and Wyandot counties, one judge, to be elected in 1956, 45
term to begin January 1, 1957; 46
In Carroll, Champaign, Clinton, Hocking, Meigs, Pickaway, 48
Preble, Shelby, Van Wert, and Williams counties, one judge, to be 49
elected in 1952, term to begin January 1, 1953; 50
In Harrison and Noble counties, one judge, to be elected in 52
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1954, term to begin April 18, 1955; 53
In Henry and Putnam counties, one judge, to be elected in 55
1956, term to begin May 9, 1957; 56
In Huron county, one judge, to be elected in 1952, term to 58
begin May 14, 1953; 59
In Perry county, one judge, to be elected in 1954, term to 61
begin July 6, 1956; 62
In Sandusky county, two judges, one to be elected in 1954, 64
term to begin February 10, 1955, and one to be elected in 1978, 65
term to begin January 1, 1979; 66
(B) In Allen county, three judges, one to be elected in 68
1956, term to begin February 9, 1957, the second to be elected in 69
1958, term to begin January 1, 1959, and the third to be elected 70
in 1992, term to begin January 1, 1993; 71
In Ashtabula county, three judges, one to be elected in 73
1954, term to begin February 9, 1955, one to be elected in 1960, 74
term to begin January 1, 1961, and one to be elected in 1978, 75
term to begin January 2, 1979; 76
In Athens county, two judges, one to be elected in 1954, 78
term to begin February 9, 1955, and one to be elected in 1990, 79
term to begin July 1, 1991; 80
In Erie county, two judges, one to be elected in 1956, term 82
to begin January 1, 1957, and the second to be elected in 1970, 83
term to begin January 2, 1971; 84
In Fairfield county, three judges, one to be elected in 86
1954, term to begin February 9, 1955, the second to be elected in 87
1970, term to begin January 1, 1971, and the third to be elected 88
in 1994, term to begin January 2, 1995; 89
In Geauga county, two judges, one to be elected in 1956, 91
term to begin January 1, 1957, and the second to be elected in 92
1976, term to begin January 1, 1977; 93
In Greene county, four judges, one to be elected in 1956, 95
term to begin February 9, 1957, the second to be elected in 1960, 96
term to begin January 1, 1961, the third to be elected in 1978, 97
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term to begin January 2, 1979, and the fourth to be elected in 98
1994, term to begin January 1, 1995; 99
In Hancock county, two judges, one to be elected in 1952, 101
term to begin January 1, 1953, and the second to be elected in 102
1978, term to begin January 1, 1979; 103
In Lawrence county, two judges, one to be elected in 1954, 105
term to begin February 9, 1955, and the second to be elected in 106
1976, term to begin January 1, 1977; 107
In Marion county, two judges, one to be elected in 1952, 109
term to begin January 1, 1953, and the second to be elected in 110
1976, term to begin January 2, 1977; 111
In Medina county, three judges, one to be elected in 1956, 113
term to begin January 1, 1957, the second to be elected in 1966, 114
term to begin January 1, 1967, and the third to be elected in 115
1994, term to begin January 1, 1995; 116
In Miami county, two judges, one to be elected in 1954, 118
term to begin February 9, 1955, and one to be elected in 1970, 119
term to begin on January 1, 1971; 120
In Muskingum county, two judges, one to be elected in 1968, 122
term to begin August 9, 1969, and one to be elected in 1978, term 123
to begin January 1, 1979; 124
In Portage county, three judges, one to be elected in 1956, 126
term to begin January 1, 1957, the second to be elected in 1960, 127
term to begin January 1, 1961, and the third to be elected in 128
1986, term to begin January 2, 1987; 129
In Ross county, two judges, one to be elected in 1956, term 131
to begin February 9, 1957, and the second to be elected in 1976, 132
term to begin January 1, 1977; 133
In Scioto county, three judges, one to be elected in 1954, 135
term to begin February 10, 1955, the second to be elected in 136
1960, term to begin January 1, 1961, and the third to be elected 137
in 1994, term to begin January 2, 1995; 138
In Seneca county, two judges, one to be elected in 1956, 140
term to begin January 1, 1957, and the second to be elected in 141
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1986, term to begin January 2, 1987; 142
In Warren county, three judges, one to be elected in 1954, 144
term to begin February 9, 1955, the second to be elected in 1970, 145
term to begin January 1, 1971, and the third to be elected in 146
1986, term to begin January 1, 1987; 147
In Washington county, two judges, one to be elected in 149
1952, term to begin January 1, 1953, and one to be elected in 150
1986, term to begin January 1, 1987; 151
In Wood county, three judges, one to be elected in 1968, 153
term beginning January 1, 1969, the second to be elected in 1970, 154
term to begin January 2, 1971, and the third to be elected in 155
1990, term to begin January 1, 1991; 156
In Belmont and Jefferson counties, two judges, to be 158
elected in 1954, terms to begin January 1, 1955, and February 9, 159
1955, respectively; 160
In Clark county, four judges, one to be elected in 1952, 162
term to begin January 1, 1953, the second to be elected in 1956, 163
term to begin January 2, 1957, the third to be elected in 1986, 164
term to begin January 3, 1987, and the fourth to be elected in 165
1994, term to begin January 2, 1995. 166
In Clermont county, four judges, one to be elected in 1956, 168
term to begin January 1, 1957, the second to be elected in 1964, 169
term to begin January 1, 1965, the third to be elected in 1982, 170
term to begin January 2, 1983, and the fourth to be elected in 171
1986, term to begin January 2, 1987; 172
In Columbiana county, two judges, one to be elected in 174
1952, term to begin January 1, 1953, and the second to be elected 175
in 1956, term to begin January 1, 1957; 176
In Delaware county, two judges, one to be elected in 1990, 178
term to begin February 9, 1991, the second to be elected in 1994, 179
term to begin January 1, 1995; 180
In Lake county, five judges, one to be elected in 1958, 182
term to begin January 1, 1959, the second to be elected in 1960, 183
term to begin January 2, 1961, the third to be elected in 1964, 184
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term to begin January 3, 1965, and the fourth and fifth to be 185
elected in 1978, terms to begin on January 4, 1979, and January 186
5, 1979, respectively; 187
In Licking county, three judges, one to be elected in 1954, 189
term to begin February 9, 1955, one to be elected in 1964, term 190
to begin January 1, 1965, and one to be elected in 1990, term to 191
begin January 1, 1991; 192
In Lorain county, six EIGHT judges, two to be elected in 194
1952, terms to begin January 1, 1953, and January 2, 1953, 195
respectively, one to be elected in 1958, term to begin January 3, 196
1959, one to be elected in 1968, term to begin January 1, 1969, 197
and two to be elected in 1988, terms to begin January 4, 1989, 198
and January 5, 1989, respectively, AND TWO TO BE ELECTED IN 1998, 199
TERMS TO BEGIN JANUARY 2, 1999, AND JANUARY 3, 1999, 201
RESPECTIVELY;
In Butler county, eight judges, one to be elected in 1956, 203
term to begin January 1, 1957; two to be elected in 1954, terms 204
to begin January 1, 1955, and February 9, 1955, respectively; one 205
to be elected in 1968, term to begin January 2, 1969; one to be 206
elected in 1986, term to begin January 3, 1987; two to be elected 207
in 1988, terms to begin January 1, 1989, and January 2, 1989, 208
respectively; and one to be elected in 1992, term to begin 209
January 4, 1993; 210
In Richland county, three judges, one to be elected in 212
1956, term to begin January 1, 1957, the second to be elected in 213
1960, term to begin February 9, 1961, and the third to be elected 214
in 1968, term to begin January 2, 1969; 215
In Tuscarawas county, two judges, one to be elected in 217
1956, term to begin January 1, 1957, and the second to be elected 218
in 1960, term to begin January 2, 1961; 219
In Wayne county, two judges, one to be elected in 1956, 221
term beginning January 1, 1957, and one to be elected in 1968, 222
term to begin January 2, 1969; 223
In Trumbull county, six judges, one to be elected in 1952, 225
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term to begin January 1, 1953, the second to be elected in 1954, 226
term to begin January 1, 1955, the third to be elected in 1956, 227
term to begin January 1, 1957, the fourth to be elected in 1964, 228
term to begin January 1, 1965, the fifth to be elected in 1976, 229
term to begin January 2, 1977; and the sixth to be elected in 230
1994, term to begin January 3, 1995; 231
(C) In Cuyahoga county, thirty-nine judges; eight to be 233
elected in 1954, terms to begin on successive days beginning from 234
January 1, 1955, to January 7, 1955, and February 9, 1955, 235
respectively; eight to be elected in 1956, terms to begin on 236
successive days beginning from January 1, 1957, to January 8, 237
1957; three to be elected in 1952, terms to begin from January 1, 238
1953, to January 3, 1953; two to be elected in 1960, terms to 239
begin on January 8, 1961, and January 9, 1961, respectively; two 240
to be elected in 1964, terms to begin January 4, 1965, and 241
January 5, 1965, respectively; one to be elected in 1966, term to 242
begin on January 10, 1967; four to be elected in 1968, terms to 243
begin on successive days beginning from January 9, 1969, to 244
January 12, 1969; two to be elected in 1974, terms to begin on 245
January 18, 1975, and January 19, 1975, respectively; five to be 246
elected in 1976, terms to begin on successive days beginning 247
January 6, 1977, to January 10, 1977; two to be elected in 1982, 248
terms to begin January 11, 1983, and January 12, 1983, 249
respectively; and two to be elected in 1986, terms to begin 250
January 13, 1987, and January 14, 1987, respectively; 251
In Franklin county, twenty-one judges; two to be elected in 254
1954, terms to begin January 1, 1955, and February 9, 1955,
respectively; four to be elected in 1956, terms to begin January 255
1, 1957, to January 4, 1957; four to be elected in 1958, terms to 256
begin January 1, 1959, to January 4, 1959; three to be elected in 257
1968, terms to begin January 5, 1969, to January 7, 1969; three 258
to be elected in 1976, terms to begin on successive days 259
beginning January 5, 1977, to January 7, 1977; one to be elected 260
in 1982, term to begin January 8, 1983; one to be elected in 261
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1986, term to begin January 9, 1987; two to be elected in 1990, 263
terms to begin July 1, 1991, and July 2, 1991, respectively; and 264
one to be elected in 1996, term to begin January 2, 1997; 265
In Hamilton county, twenty-one judges; eight to be elected 268
in 1966, terms to begin January 1, 1967, January 2, 1967, and 269
from February 9, 1967, to February 14, 1967, respectively; five 270
to be elected in 1956, terms to begin from January 1, 1957, to 271
January 5, 1957; one to be elected in 1964, term to begin January 272
1, 1965; one to be elected in 1974, term to begin January 15, 273
1975; one to be elected in 1980, term to begin January 16, 1981; 274
two to be elected at large in the general election in 1982, terms 275
to begin April 1, 1983; one to be elected in 1990, term to begin 276
July 1, 1991; and two to be elected in 1996, terms to begin 277
January 3, 1997, and January 4, 1997, respectively; 278
In Lucas county, fourteen judges; two to be elected in 280
1954, terms to begin January 1, 1955, and February 9, 1955, 281
respectively; two to be elected in 1956, terms to begin January 282
1, 1957, and October 29, 1957, respectively; two to be elected in 283
1952, terms to begin January 1, 1953, and January 2, 1953, 284
respectively; one to be elected in 1964, term to begin January 3, 285
1965; one to be elected in 1968, term to begin January 4, 1969; 286
two to be elected in 1976, terms to begin January 4, 1977, and 287
January 5, 1977, respectively; one to be elected in 1982, term to 288
begin January 6, 1983; one to be elected in 1988, term to begin 289
January 7, 1989; one to be elected in 1990, term to begin January 290
2, 1991; and one to be elected in 1992, term to begin January 2, 291
1993; 292
In Mahoning county, seven judges; three to be elected in 294
1954, terms to begin January 1, 1955, January 2, 1955, and 295
February 9, 1955, respectively; one to be elected in 1956, term 296
to begin January 1, 1957; one to be elected in 1952, term to 297
begin January 1, 1953; one to be elected in 1968, term to begin 298
January 2, 1969; and one to be elected in 1990, term to begin 299
July 1, 1991; 300
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In Montgomery county, fifteen judges; three to be elected 302
in 1954, terms to begin January 1, 1955, January 2, 1955, and 303
January 3, 1955, respectively; four to be elected in 1952, terms 304
to begin January 1, 1953, January 2, 1953, July 1, 1953, July 2, 305
1953, respectively; one to be elected in 1964, term to begin 306
January 3, 1965; one to be elected in 1968, term to begin January 307
3, 1969; three to be elected in 1976, terms to begin on 308
successive days beginning January 4, 1977, to January 6, 1977; 309
two to be elected in 1990, terms to begin July 1, 1991, and July 310
2, 1991, respectively; and one to be elected in 1992, term to 311
begin January 1, 1993. 312
In Stark county, eight judges; one to be elected in 1958, 314
term to begin on January 2, 1959; two to be elected in 1954, 315
terms to begin on January 1, 1955, and February 9, 1955, 316
respectively; two to be elected in 1952, terms to begin January 317
1, 1953, and April 16, 1953, respectively; one to be elected in 318
1966, term to begin on January 4, 1967; and two to be elected in 319
1992, terms to begin January 1, 1993, and January 2, 1993, 320
respectively; 321
In Summit county, eleven judges; four to be elected in 323
1954, terms to begin January 1, 1955, January 2, 1955, January 3, 324
1955, and February 9, 1955, respectively; three to be elected in 325
1958, terms to begin January 1, 1959, January 2, 1959, and May 326
17, 1959, respectively; one to be elected in 1966, term to begin 327
January 4, 1967; one to be elected in 1968, term to begin January 328
5, 1969; one to be elected in 1990, term to begin May 1, 1991; 329
and one to be elected in 1992, term to begin January 6, 1993. 330
Notwithstanding the foregoing provisions, in any county 332
having two or more judges of the court of common pleas, in which 333
more than one-third of the judges plus one were previously 334
elected at the same election, if the office of one of those 335
judges so elected becomes vacant more than forty days prior to 336
the second general election preceding the expiration of that 337
judge's term, the office that that judge had filled shall be 338
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abolished as of the date of the next general election, and a new 339
office of judge of the court of common pleas shall be created. 340
The judge who is to fill that new office shall be elected for a 341
six-year term at the next general election, and the term of that 343
judge shall commence on the first day of the year following that 344
general election, on which day no other judge's term begins so 345
that the number of judges which such county shall elect shall not 346
be reduced. 347
Judges of the probate division of the court of common pleas 349
are judges of the court of common pleas, but shall be elected 350
pursuant to sections 2101.02 and 2101.021 of the Revised Code, 351
except in Adams, Harrison, Henry, Morgan, Morrow, Noble, and 352
Wyandot counties in which the judge of the court of common pleas 353
elected pursuant to this section shall also serve as judge of the 354
probate division. 355
Sec. 2301.03. (A) In Franklin county, the judges of the 365
court of common pleas whose terms begin on January 1, 1953, 366
January 2, 1953, January 5, 1969, January 5, 1977, and January 2, 367
1997, and successors, shall have the same qualifications, 368
exercise the same powers and jurisdiction, and receive the same 369
compensation as other judges of the court of common pleas of 370
Franklin county and shall be elected and designated as judges of 371
the court of common pleas, division of domestic relations. They 372
shall have all the powers relating to juvenile courts, and all 373
cases under Chapter 2151. of the Revised Code, all parentage 374
proceedings under Chapter 3111. of the Revised Code over which 375
the juvenile court has jurisdiction, and all divorce, dissolution 376
of marriage, legal separation, and annulment cases shall be 377
assigned to them. In addition to the judge's regular duties, the 378
judge who is senior in point of service shall serve on the 380
children services board and the county advisory board and shall 381
be the administrator of the domestic relations division and its 382
subdivisions and departments.
(B)(1) In Hamilton county, the judge of the court of 384
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common pleas, whose term begins on January 1, 1957, and 385
successors, and the judge of the court of common pleas, whose 386
term begins on February 14, 1967, and successors, shall be the 387
juvenile judges as provided in Chapter 2151. of the Revised Code, 388
with the powers and jurisdiction conferred by that chapter. 389
(2) The judges of the court of common pleas whose terms 391
begin on January 5, 1957, January 16, 1981, and July 1, 1991, and 392
successors, shall be elected and designated as judges of the 393
court of common pleas, division of domestic relations, and shall 394
have assigned to them all divorce, dissolution of marriage, legal 395
separation, and annulment cases coming before the court. On or 396
after the first day of July and before the first day of August of 397
1991 and each year thereafter, a majority of the judges of the 398
division of domestic relations shall elect one of the judges of 399
the division as administrative judge of that division. If a 400
majority of the judges of the division of domestic relations are 401
unable for any reason to elect an administrative judge for the 403
division before the first day of August, a majority of the judges 404
of the Hamilton county court of common pleas, as soon as possible 405
after that date, shall elect one of the judges of the division of 406
domestic relations as administrative judge of that division. The 407
term of the administrative judge shall begin on the earlier of 408
the first day of August of the year in which the administrative 409
judge is elected or the date on which the administrative judge is 411
elected by a majority of the judges of the Hamilton county court 414
of common pleas and shall terminate on the date on which the 415
administrative judge's successor is elected in the following 416
year. 417
In addition to the judge's regular duties, the 419
administrative judge of the division of domestic relations shall 421
be the administrator of the domestic relations division and its 422
subdivisions and departments and shall have charge of the 423
employment, assignment, and supervision of the personnel of the 424
division engaged in handling, servicing, or investigating 425
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divorce, dissolution of marriage, legal separation, and annulment 426
cases, including any referees considered necessary by the judges 427
in the discharge of their various duties. 428
The administrative judge of the division of domestic 430
relations also shall designate the title, compensation, expense 431
allowances, hours, leaves of absence, and vacations of the 432
personnel of the division, and shall fix the duties of its 433
personnel. The duties of the personnel, in addition to those 434
provided for in other sections of the Revised Code, shall include 435
the handling, servicing, and investigation of divorce, 436
dissolution of marriage, legal separation, and annulment cases 437
and counseling and conciliation services that may be made 438
available to persons requesting them, whether or not the persons 439
are parties to an action pending in the division. 440
The board of county commissioners shall appropriate the sum 442
of money each year as will meet all the administrative expenses 443
of the division of domestic relations, including reasonable 444
expenses of the domestic relations judges and the division 445
counselors and other employees designated to conduct the 446
handling, servicing, and investigation of divorce, dissolution of 447
marriage, legal separation, and annulment cases, conciliation and 448
counseling, and all matters relating to those cases and 449
counseling, and the expenses involved in the attendance of 450
division personnel at domestic relations and welfare conferences 451
designated by the division, and the further sum each year as will 452
provide for the adequate operation of the division of domestic 453
relations. 454
The compensation and expenses of all employees and the 456
salary and expenses of the judges shall be paid by the county 457
treasurer from the money appropriated for the operation of the 458
division, upon the warrant of the county auditor, certified to by 459
the administrative judge of the division of domestic relations. 460
The summonses, warrants, citations, subpoenas, and other 462
writs of the division may issue to a bailiff, constable, or staff 463
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investigator of the division or to the sheriff of any county or 464
any marshal, constable, or police officer, and the provisions of 465
law relating to the subpoenaing of witnesses in other cases shall 466
apply insofar as they are applicable. When a summons, warrant, 467
citation, subpoena, or other writ is issued to an officer, other 468
than a bailiff, constable, or staff investigator of the division, 469
the expense of serving it shall be assessed as a part of the 470
costs in the case involved. 471
(3) The judge of the court of common pleas of Hamilton 474
County whose term begins on January 3, 1997, shall be elected and 475
designated for one term only as the drug court judge of the court 476
of common pleas of Hamilton County, and the successors to that 478
judge shall be elected and designated as judges of the general 479
division of the court of common pleas of Hamilton county and 480
shall not have the authority granted by division (B)(3) of this 481
section. The drug court judge may accept or reject any case 482
referred to the drug court judge under division (B)(3) of this 483
section. After the drug court judge accepts a referred case, the 484
drug court judge has full authority over the case, including the 485
authority to conduct arraignment, accept pleas, enter findings 486
and dispositions, conduct trials, order treatment, and if 487
treatment is not successfully completed pronounce and enter 488
sentence.
A judge of the general division of the court of common 490
pleas of Hamilton County and a judge of the Hamilton County 492
municipal court may refer to the drug court judge any case, and 493
any companion cases, the judge determines meet the criteria 494
described under divisions (B)(3)(a) and (b) of this section. If 496
the drug court judge accepts referral of a referred case, the 497
case, and any companion cases, shall be transferred to the drug 499
court judge. A judge may refer a case meeting the criteria
described in divisions (B)(3)(a) and (b) of this section that 501
involves a violation of a term of probation to the drug court 502
judge, and, if the drug court judge accepts the referral, the 504
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referring judge and the drug court judge have concurrent 505
jurisdiction over the case.
A judge of the general division of the court of common 507
pleas of Hamilton County and a judge of the Hamilton County 508
municipal court may refer a case to the drug court judge under 509
division (B)(3) of this section if the judge determines that both 510
of the following apply:
(a) One of the following applies: 512
(i) The case involves a drug abuse offense, as defined in 514
section 2925.01 of the Revised Code, that is a felony of the 516
third or fourth degree if the offense is committed prior to July 517
1, 1996, a felony of the third, fourth, or fifth degree if the 518
offense is committed on or after July 1, 1996, or a misdemeanor. 519
(ii) The case involves a theft offense, as defined in 521
section 2913.01 of the Revised Code, that is a felony of the 523
third or fourth degree if the offense is committed prior to July 524
1, 1996, a felony of the third, fourth, or fifth degree if the 525
offense is committed on or after July 1, 1996, or a misdemeanor, 526
and the defendant is drug or alcohol dependent or in danger of 527
becoming drug or alcohol dependent and would benefit from 528
treatment.
(b) All of the following apply: 530
(i) The case involves a probationable offense or a case in 532
which a mandatory prison term is not required to be imposed. 533
(ii) The defendant has no history of violent behavior. 535
(iii) The defendant has no history of mental illness. 537
(iv) The defendant's current or past behavior, or both, is 539
drug or alcohol driven. 540
(v) The defendant demonstrates a sincere willingness to 542
participate in a fifteen-month treatment process. 543
(vi) The defendant has no acute health condition. 545
(vii) If the defendant is incarcerated, the county 547
prosecutor approves of the referral. 548
(4) If the administrative judge of the court of common 550
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pleas of Hamilton county determines that the volume of cases 551
pending before the drug court judge does not constitute a 552
sufficient caseload for the drug court judge, the administrative 553
judge, in accordance with the Rules of Superintendance 554
SUPERINTENDENCE for Courts of Common Pleas, shall assign 555
individual cases to the drug court judge from the general docket 556
of the court. If the assignments so occur, the administrative
judge shall cease the assignments when the administrative judge 557
determines that the volume of cases pending before the drug court 558
judge constitutes a sufficient caseload for the drug court judge. 559
(C) In Lorain county, the judges of the court of common 561
pleas whose terms begin on January 3, 1959, and January 4, 1989, 562
AND JANUARY 2, 1999, and successors, shall have the same 564
qualifications, exercise the same powers and jurisdiction, and 565
receive the same compensation as the other judges of the court of 566
common pleas of Lorain county and shall be elected and designated 567
as the judges of the court of common pleas, division of domestic 568
relations. They shall have all of the powers relating to 569
juvenile courts, and all cases under Chapter 2151. of the Revised 570
Code, all parentage proceedings over which the juvenile court has 571
jurisdiction, and all divorce, dissolution of marriage, legal 572
separation, and annulment cases shall be assigned to them, except 573
in any cases that for some special reason are assigned to some 574
other judge of the court of common pleas. 575
THE JUDGE OF THE DIVISION OF DOMESTIC RELATIONS, SENIOR IN 577
POINT OF SERVICE, SHALL BE THE ADMINISTRATOR OF THE DOMESTIC 578
RELATIONS DIVISION AND ITS SUBDIVISIONS AND DEPARTMENTS AND SHALL 579
HAVE CHARGE OF THE EMPLOYMENT, ASSIGNMENT, AND SUPERVISION OF THE 580
PERSONNEL OF THE DIVISION, INCLUDING ANY NECESSARY REFEREES, WHO 581
ARE ENGAGED IN HANDLING, SERVICING, OR INVESTIGATING CASES UNDER 582
CHAPTER 2151. OF THE REVISED CODE AND DIVORCE, DISSOLUTION OF
MARRIAGE, LEGAL SEPARATION, AND ANNULMENT CASES. THAT JUDGE ALSO 583
SHALL DESIGNATE THE TITLE, COMPENSATION, EXPENSE ALLOWANCES, 584
HOURS, LEAVES OF ABSENCE, AND VACATIONS OF THE PERSONNEL OF THE 585
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DIVISION AND SHALL FIX THEIR DUTIES. THE DUTIES OF THE 586
PERSONNEL, IN ADDITION TO OTHER STATUTORY DUTIES, SHALL INCLUDE
THE HANDLING, SERVICING, AND INVESTIGATION OF CASES UNDER CHAPTER 587
2151. OF THE REVISED CODE, OF DIVORCE, DISSOLUTION OF MARRIAGE, 588
LEGAL SEPARATION, AND ANNULMENT CASES, AND OF ANY COUNSELING AND 589
CONCILIATION SERVICES THAT ARE AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST TO ALL 590
PERSONS, WHETHER OR NOT THEY ARE PARTIES TO AN ACTION PENDING IN 591
THE DIVISION.
(D)(1) In Lucas county, the judges of the court of common 593
pleas whose terms begin on January 1, 1955, and January 3, 1965, 594
and successors, shall have the same qualifications, exercise the 595
same powers and jurisdiction, and receive the same compensation 596
as other judges of the court of common pleas of Lucas county and 597
shall be elected and designated as judges of the court of common 598
pleas, division of domestic relations. All divorce, dissolution 599
of marriage, legal separation, and annulment cases shall be 600
assigned to them. 601
The judge of the division of domestic relations, senior in 603
point of service, shall be considered as the presiding judge of 604
the court of common pleas, division of domestic relations, and 605
shall be charged exclusively with the assignment and division of 606
the work of the division and the employment and supervision of 607
all other personnel of the domestic relations division. 608
(2) The judges of the court of common pleas whose terms 610
begin on January 5, 1977, and January 2, 1991, and successors 611
shall have the same qualifications, exercise the same powers and 612
jurisdiction, and receive the same compensation as other judges 613
of the court of common pleas of Lucas county, shall be elected 614
and designated as judges of the court of common pleas, juvenile 615
division, and shall be the juvenile judges as provided in Chapter 616
2151. of the Revised Code with the powers and jurisdictions 617
conferred by that chapter. In addition to the judge's regular 619
duties, the judge of the court of common pleas, juvenile 620
division, senior in point of service, shall be the administrator 621
16
of the juvenile division and its subdivisions and departments and 622
shall have charge of the employment, assignment, and supervision 623
of the personnel of the division engaged in handling, servicing, 624
or investigating juvenile cases, including any referees 625
considered necessary by the judges of the division in the 626
discharge of their various duties. 627
The judge of the court of common pleas, juvenile division, 629
senior in point of service, also shall designate the title, 630
compensation, expense allowance, hours, leaves of absence, and 631
vacation of the personnel of the division and shall fix the 632
duties of the personnel of the division. The duties of the 633
personnel, in addition to other statutory duties include the 634
handling, servicing, and investigation of juvenile cases and 635
counseling and conciliation services that may be made available 636
to persons requesting them, whether or not the persons are 637
parties to an action pending in the division. 638
(3) If one of the judges of the court of common pleas, 640
division of domestic relations, or one of the judges of the 641
juvenile division is sick, absent, or unable to perform that the 642
judge's judicial duties or the volume of cases pending in that 644
judge's division necessitates it, the duties shall be performed 645
by the judges of the other of those divisions. 647
(E)(1) In Mahoning county, the judge of the court of 649
common pleas whose term began on January 1, 1955, and successors, 650
shall have the same qualifications, exercise the same powers and 651
jurisdiction, and receive the same compensation as other judges 652
of the court of common pleas of Mahoning county, shall be elected 653
and designated as judge of the court of common pleas, division of 654
domestic relations, and shall be assigned all the divorce, 657
dissolution of marriage, legal separation, and annulment cases 658
coming before the court. In addition to the judge's regular 659
duties, the judge of the court of common pleas, division of
domestic relations, shall be the administrator of the domestic 660
relations division and its subdivisions and departments and shall 661
17
have charge of the employment, assignment, and supervision of the 662
personnel of the division engaged in handling, servicing, or 663
investigating divorce, dissolution of marriage, legal separation, 664
and annulment cases, including any referees considered necessary 665
in the discharge of the various duties of the judge's office. 667
The judge also shall designate the title, compensation, 669
expense allowances, hours, leaves of absence, and vacations of 670
the personnel of the division and shall fix the duties of the 671
personnel of the division. The duties of the personnel, in 672
addition to other statutory duties, include the handling, 673
servicing, and investigation of divorce, dissolution of marriage, 674
legal separation, and annulment cases and counseling and 675
conciliation services that may be made available to persons 676
requesting them, whether or not the persons are parties to an 677
action pending in the division. 678
(2) The judge of the court of common pleas whose term 680
began on January 2, 1969, and successors, shall have the same 681
qualifications, exercise the same powers and jurisdiction, and 682
receive the same compensation as other judges of the court of 683
common pleas of Mahoning county, shall be elected and designated 684
as judge of court of common pleas, juvenile division, and shall 685
be the juvenile judge as provided in Chapter 2151. of the Revised 686
Code, with the powers and jurisdictions conferred by that 687
chapter. In addition to the judge's regular duties, the judge of 689
the court of common pleas, juvenile division, shall be the 690
administrator of the juvenile division and its subdivisions and 691
departments and shall have charge of the employment, assignment, 692
and supervision of the personnel of the division engaged in 693
handling, servicing, or investigating juvenile cases, including 694
any referees considered necessary by the judge in the discharge 695
of the judge's various duties. 696
The judge also shall designate the title, compensation, 698
expense allowances, hours, leaves of absence, and vacation of the 699
personnel of the division and shall fix the duties of the 700
18
personnel of the division. The duties of the personnel, in 701
addition to other statutory duties, include the handling, 702
servicing, and investigation of juvenile cases and counseling and 703
conciliation services that may be made available to persons 704
requesting them, whether or not the persons are parties to an 705
action pending in the division. 706
(3) If a judge of the court of common pleas, division of 708
domestic relations or juvenile division, is sick, absent, or 709
unable to perform that judge's judicial duties, or the volume of 711
cases pending in that judge's division necessitates it, that the 713
judge's duties shall be performed by another judge of the court 714
of common pleas.
(F)(1) In Montgomery county, the judges of the court of 716
common pleas whose terms begin on January 2, 1953, and January 4, 717
1977, and successors, shall have the same qualifications, 718
exercise the same powers and jurisdiction, and receive the same 719
compensation as other judges of the court of common pleas of 720
Montgomery county and shall be elected and designated as judges 721
of the court of common pleas, division of domestic relations. 722
These judges shall have assigned to them all divorce, dissolution 723
of marriage, legal separation, and annulment cases. 724
The judge of the division of domestic relations, senior in 726
point of service, shall be charged exclusively with the 727
assignment and division of the work of the division and shall 728
have charge of the employment and supervision of the personnel of 729
the division engaged in handling, servicing, or investigating 730
divorce, dissolution of marriage, legal separation, and annulment 731
cases, including any necessary referees, except those employees 732
who may be appointed by the judge, junior in point of service, 733
under this section and sections 2301.12, 2301.18, and 2301.19 of 734
the Revised Code. The judge of the division of domestic 735
relations, senior in point of service, also shall designate the 736
title, compensation, expense allowances, hours, leaves of 737
absence, and vacation of the personnel of the division and shall 738
19
fix their duties. 739
(2) The judges of the court of common pleas whose terms 741
begin on January 1, 1953, and January 1, 1993, and successors, 742
shall have the same qualifications, exercise the same powers and 743
jurisdiction, and receive the same compensation as other judges 744
of the court of common pleas of Montgomery county, shall be 745
elected and designated as judges of the court of common pleas, 746
juvenile division, and shall be, and have the powers and 747
jurisdiction of, the juvenile judge as provided in Chapter 2151. 748
of the Revised Code. 749
In addition to the judge's regular duties, the judge of the 751
court of common pleas, juvenile division, senior in point of 753
service, shall be the administrator of the juvenile division and 754
its subdivisions and departments and shall have charge of the 755
employment, assignment, and supervision of the personnel of the 756
juvenile division, including any necessary referees, who are 757
engaged in handling, servicing, or investigating juvenile cases. 758
The judge, senior in point of service, also shall designate the 759
title, compensation, expense allowances, hours, leaves of 760
absence, and vacation of the personnel of the division and shall 761
fix their duties. The duties of the personnel, in addition to 762
other statutory duties, shall include the handling, servicing, 763
and investigation of juvenile cases and of any counseling and 764
conciliation services that are available upon request to persons, 765
whether or not they are parties to an action pending in the 766
division. 767
If one of the judges of the court of common pleas, division 769
of domestic relations, or one of the judges of the court of 770
common pleas, juvenile division, is sick, absent, or unable to 771
perform that the judge's duties or the volume of cases pending in 773
that judge's division necessitates it, the duties of that judge 775
may be performed by the judge or judges of the other of those 776
divisions.
(G) In Richland county, the judge of the court of common 778
20
pleas whose term begins on January 1, 1957, and successors, shall 779
have the same qualifications, exercise the same powers and 780
jurisdiction, and receive the same compensation as the other 781
judges of the court of common pleas of Richland county and shall 782
be elected and designated as judge of the court of common pleas, 783
division of domestic relations. That judge shall have all of the 785
powers relating to juvenile courts, and all cases under Chapter 786
2151. of the Revised Code, all parentage proceedings over which 787
the juvenile court has jurisdiction, and all divorce, dissolution 788
of marriage, legal separation, and annulment cases shall be 789
assigned to that judge, except in cases that for some special 790
reason are assigned to some other judge of the court of common 792
pleas.
(H) In Stark county, the judges of the court of common 794
pleas whose terms begin on January 1, 1953, January 2, 1959, and 795
January 1, 1993, and successors, shall have the same 796
qualifications, exercise the same powers and jurisdiction, and 797
receive the same compensation as other judges of the court of 798
common pleas of Stark county and shall be elected and designated 799
as judges of the court of common pleas, division of domestic 800
relations. They shall have all the powers relating to juvenile 801
courts, and all cases under Chapter 2151. of the Revised Code, 802
all parentage proceedings over which the juvenile court has 803
jurisdiction, and all divorce, dissolution of marriage, legal 804
separation, and annulment cases, except cases that are assigned 805
to some other judge of the court of common pleas for some special 806
reason, shall be assigned to the judges. 807
The judge of the division of domestic relations, second 809
most senior in point of service, shall have charge of the 810
employment and supervision of the personnel of the division 811
engaged in handling, servicing, or investigating divorce, 812
dissolution of marriage, legal separation, and annulment cases, 813
and necessary referees required for his THE JUDGE'S respective 814
court. 815
21
The judge of the division of domestic relations, senior in 817
point of service, shall be charged exclusively with the 818
administration of sections 2151.13, 2151.16, 2151.17, and 2151.18 819
of the Revised Code and with the assignment and division of the 820
work of the division and the employment and supervision of all 821
other personnel of the division, including, but not limited to, 822
that judge's necessary referees, but excepting those employees 824
who may be appointed by the judge second most senior in point of 825
service. The senior judge further shall serve as administrator 826
of the bureau of aid to dependent children and shall serve in 827
every other position in which the statutes permit or require a 828
juvenile judge to serve. 829
(I) In Summit county: 831
(1) The judges of the court of common pleas whose terms 833
begin on January 4, 1967, and January 6, 1993, and successors, 834
shall have the same qualifications, exercise the same powers and 835
jurisdiction, and receive the same compensation as other judges 836
of the court of common pleas of Summit county and shall be 837
elected and designated as judges of the court of common pleas, 838
division of domestic relations. The judges of the division of 839
domestic relations shall have assigned to them and hear all 840
divorce, dissolution of marriage, legal separation, and annulment 841
cases that come before the court. 842
The judge of the division of domestic relations, senior in 844
point of service, shall be the administrator of the domestic 845
relations division and its subdivisions and departments and shall 846
have charge of the employment, assignment, and supervision of the 847
personnel of the division, including any necessary referees, who 848
are engaged in handling, servicing, or investigating divorce, 849
dissolution of marriage, legal separation, and annulment cases. 850
That judge also shall designate the title, compensation, expense 851
allowances, hours, leaves of absence, and vacations of the 852
personnel of the division and shall fix their duties. The duties 853
of the personnel, in addition to other statutory duties, shall 854
22
include the handling, servicing, and investigation of divorce, 855
dissolution of marriage, legal separation, and annulment cases 856
and of any counseling and conciliation services that are 857
available upon request to all persons, whether or not they are 858
parties to an action pending in the division. 859
(2) The judge of the court of common pleas whose term 861
begins on January 1, 1955, and successors, shall have the same 862
qualifications, exercise the same powers and jurisdiction, and 863
receive the same compensation as other judges of the court of 864
common pleas of Summit county, shall be elected and designated as 865
judge of the court of common pleas, juvenile division, and shall 866
be, and have the powers and jurisdiction of, the juvenile judge 867
as provided in Chapter 2151. of the Revised Code. 868
The juvenile judge shall be the administrator of the 870
juvenile division and its subdivisions and departments and shall 871
have charge of the employment, assignment, and supervision of the 872
personnel of the juvenile division, including any necessary 873
referees, who are engaged in handling, servicing, or 874
investigating juvenile cases. The judge also shall designate the 875
title, compensation, expense allowances, hours, leaves of 876
absence, and vacation of the personnel of the division and shall 877
fix their duties. The duties of the personnel, in addition to 878
other statutory duties, shall include the handling, servicing, 879
and investigation of juvenile cases and of any counseling and 880
conciliation services that are available upon request to persons, 881
whether or not they are parties to an action pending in the 882
division. 883
(J) In Trumbull county, the judges of the court of common 885
pleas whose terms begin on January 1, 1953, and January 2, 1977, 886
and successors, shall have the same qualifications, exercise the 887
same powers and jurisdiction, and receive the same compensation 888
as other judges of the court of common pleas of Trumbull county 889
and shall be elected and designated as judges of the court of 890
common pleas, division of domestic relations. They shall have 891
23
all the powers relating to juvenile courts, and all cases under 892
Chapter 2151. of the Revised Code, all parentage proceedings over 893
which the juvenile court has jurisdiction, and all divorce, 894
dissolution of marriage, legal separation, and annulment cases 895
shall be assigned to them, except cases that for some special 896
reason are assigned to some other judge of the court of common 897
pleas. 898
(K) In Butler county: 900
(1) The judges of the court of common pleas whose terms 902
begin on January 1, 1957, and January 4, 1993, and successors, 903
shall have the same qualifications, exercise the same powers and 904
jurisdiction, and receive the same compensation as other judges 905
of the court of common pleas of Butler county and shall be 906
elected and designated as judges of the court of common pleas, 907
division of domestic relations. The judges of the division of 908
domestic relations shall have assigned to them all divorce, 909
dissolution of marriage, legal separation, and annulment cases 910
coming before the court, except in cases that for some special 911
reason are assigned to some other judge of the court of common 912
pleas. The judge senior in point of service shall be charged 913
with the assignment and division of the work of the division and 914
with the employment and supervision of all other personnel of the 915
domestic relations division. 916
The judge senior in point of service also shall designate 918
the title, compensation, expense allowances, hours, leaves of 919
absence, and vacations of the personnel of the division and shall 920
fix their duties. The duties of the personnel, in addition to 921
other statutory duties, shall include the handling, servicing, 922
and investigation of divorce, dissolution of marriage, legal 923
separation, and annulment cases and providing any counseling and 924
conciliation services that the division makes available to 925
persons, whether or not the persons are parties to an action 926
pending in the division, who request the services. 927
(2) The judge of the court of common pleas whose term 929
24
begins on January 3, 1987, and successors, shall have the same 930
qualifications, exercise the same powers and jurisdiction, and 931
receive the same compensation as other judges of the court of 932
common pleas of Butler county, shall be elected and designated as 933
judge of the court of common pleas, juvenile division, and shall 934
be the juvenile judge as provided in Chapter 2151. of the Revised 935
Code, with the powers and jurisdictions conferred by that 936
chapter. The judge of the court of common pleas, juvenile 937
division, shall be the administrator of the juvenile division and 938
its subdivisions and departments. The judge shall have charge of 939
the employment, assignment, and supervision of the personnel of 940
the juvenile division who are engaged in handling, servicing, or 941
investigating juvenile cases, including any referees whom the 942
judge considers necessary for the discharge of the judge's 943
various duties. 944
The judge also shall designate the title, compensation, 946
expense allowances, hours, leaves of absence, and vacation of the 947
personnel of the division and shall fix their duties. The duties 948
of the personnel, in addition to other statutory duties, include 949
the handling, servicing, and investigation of juvenile cases and 950
providing any counseling and conciliation services that the 951
division makes available to persons, whether or not the persons 952
are parties to an action pending in the division, who request the 953
services. 954
(3) If a judge of the court of common pleas, division of 956
domestic relations or juvenile division, is sick, absent, or 957
unable to perform that the judge's judicial duties or the volume 958
of cases pending in the judge's division necessitates it, the 961
duties of that judge shall be performed by the other judges of 962
the domestic relations and juvenile divisions. 963
(L)(1) In Cuyahoga county, the judges of the court of 965
common pleas whose terms begin on January 8, 1961, January 9, 966
1961, January 18, 1975, January 19, 1975, and January 13, 1987, 967
and successors, shall have the same qualifications, exercise the 968
25
same powers and jurisdiction, and receive the same compensation 969
as other judges of the court of common pleas of Cuyahoga county 970
and shall be elected and designated as judges of the court of 971
common pleas, division of domestic relations. They shall have 972
all the powers relating to all divorce, dissolution of marriage, 973
legal separation, and annulment cases, except in cases that are 974
assigned to some other judge of the court of common pleas for 975
some special reason. 976
(2) The administrative judge is administrator of the 978
domestic relations division and its subdivisions and departments 979
and has the following powers concerning division personnel: 980
(a) Full charge of the employment, assignment, and 982
supervision; 983
(b) Sole determination of compensation, duties, expenses, 985
allowances, hours, leaves, and vacations. 986
(3) "Division personnel" include persons employed or 988
referees engaged in hearing, servicing, investigating, 989
counseling, or conciliating divorce, dissolution of marriage, 990
legal separation and annulment matters. 991
(M) In Lake county: 993
(1) The judge of the court of common pleas whose term 995
begins on January 2, 1961, and successors, shall have the same 996
qualifications, exercise the same powers and jurisdiction, and 997
receive the same compensation as the other judges of the court of 998
common pleas of Lake county and shall be elected and designated 999
as judge of the court of common pleas, division of domestic 1,000
relations. The judge shall be assigned all the divorce, 1,002
dissolution of marriage, legal separation, and annulment cases 1,003
coming before the court, except in cases that for some special 1,004
reason are assigned to some other judge of the court of common 1,005
pleas. The judge shall be charged with the assignment and 1,006
division of the work of the division and with the employment and 1,007
supervision of all other personnel of the domestic relations 1,008
division. 1,009
26
The judge also shall designate the title, compensation, 1,011
expense allowances, hours, leaves of absence, and vacations of 1,012
the personnel of the division and shall fix their duties. The 1,013
duties of the personnel, in addition to other statutory duties, 1,014
shall include the handling, servicing, and investigation of 1,015
divorce, dissolution of marriage, legal separation, and annulment 1,016
cases and providing any counseling and conciliation services that 1,017
the division makes available to persons, whether or not the 1,018
persons are parties to an action pending in the division, who 1,019
request the services. 1,020
(2) The judge of the court of common pleas whose term 1,022
begins on January 4, 1979, and successors, shall have the same 1,023
qualifications, exercise the same powers and jurisdiction, and 1,024
receive the same compensation as other judges of the court of 1,025
common pleas of Lake county, shall be elected and designated as 1,026
judge of the court of common pleas, juvenile division, and shall 1,027
be the juvenile judge as provided in Chapter 2151. of the Revised 1,028
Code, with the powers and jurisdictions conferred by that 1,029
chapter. The judge of the court of common pleas, juvenile 1,030
division, shall be the administrator of the juvenile division and 1,031
its subdivisions and departments. The judge shall have charge of 1,032
the employment, assignment, and supervision of the personnel of 1,033
the juvenile division who are engaged in handling, servicing, or 1,034
investigating juvenile cases, including any referees whom the 1,035
judge considers necessary for the discharge of the judge's 1,036
various duties. 1,037
The judge also shall designate the title, compensation, 1,039
expense allowances, hours, leaves of absence, and vacation of the 1,040
personnel of the division and shall fix their duties. The duties 1,041
of the personnel, in addition to other statutory duties, include 1,042
the handling, servicing, and investigation of juvenile cases and 1,043
providing any counseling and conciliation services that the 1,044
division makes available to persons, whether or not the persons 1,045
are parties to an action pending in the division, who request the 1,046
27
services. 1,047
(3) If a judge of the court of common pleas, division of 1,049
domestic relations or juvenile division, is sick, absent, or 1,050
unable to perform that the judge's judicial duties or the volume 1,051
of cases pending in the judge's division necessitates it, the 1,054
duties of that judge shall be performed by the other judges of 1,055
the domestic relations and juvenile divisions. 1,056
(N) In Erie county, the judge of the court of common pleas 1,058
whose term begins on January 2, 1971, and successors, shall have 1,059
the same qualifications, exercise the same powers and 1,060
jurisdiction, and receive the same compensation as the other 1,061
judge of the court of common pleas of Erie county and shall be 1,062
elected and designated as judge of the court of common pleas, 1,063
division of domestic relations. The judge shall have all the 1,064
powers relating to juvenile courts, and shall be assigned all 1,065
cases under Chapter 2151. of the Revised Code, parentage 1,067
proceedings over which the juvenile court has jurisdiction, and 1,069
divorce, dissolution of marriage, legal separation, and annulment 1,070
cases, except cases that for some special reason are assigned to 1,071
some other judge. 1,072
(O) In Greene county: 1,074
(1) The judge of the court of common pleas whose term 1,076
begins on January 1, 1961, and successors, shall have the same 1,077
qualifications, exercise the same powers and jurisdiction, and 1,078
receive the same compensation as the other judges of the court of 1,079
common pleas of Greene county and shall be elected and designated 1,080
as the judge of the court of common pleas, division of domestic 1,081
relations. The judge shall be assigned all divorce, dissolution 1,083
of marriage, legal separation, annulment, uniform reciprocal 1,084
support enforcement, and domestic violence cases and all other 1,085
cases related to domestic relations, except cases that for some 1,086
special reason are assigned to some other judge of the court of 1,087
common pleas.
The judge shall be charged with the assignment and division 1,089
28
of the work of the division and with the employment and 1,090
supervision of all other personnel of the division. The judge 1,092
also shall designate the title, compensation, hours, leaves of 1,094
absence, and vacations of the personnel of the division and shall 1,095
fix their duties. The duties of the personnel of the division, 1,096
in addition to other statutory duties, shall include the 1,097
handling, servicing, and investigation of divorce, dissolution of 1,098
marriage, legal separation, and annulment cases and the provision 1,099
of counseling and conciliation services that the division 1,100
considers necessary and makes available to persons who request 1,101
the services, whether or not the persons are parties in an action 1,102
pending in the division. The compensation for the personnel 1,103
shall be paid from the overall court budget and shall be included 1,104
in the appropriations for the existing judges of the general 1,105
division of the court of common pleas.
(2) The judge of the court of common pleas whose term 1,107
begins on January 1, 1995, and successors, shall have the same 1,108
qualifications, exercise the same powers and jurisdiction, and 1,109
receive the same compensation as the other judges of the court of 1,110
common pleas of Greene county, shall be elected and designated as 1,111
judge of the court of common pleas, juvenile division, and, on or 1,112
after January 1, 1995, shall be the juvenile judge as provided in 1,113
Chapter 2151. of the Revised Code with the powers and 1,114
jurisdiction conferred by that chapter. The judge of the court 1,115
of common pleas, juvenile division, shall be the administrator of 1,116
the juvenile division and its subdivisions and departments. The 1,117
judge shall have charge of the employment, assignment, and 1,118
supervision of the personnel of the juvenile division who are 1,119
engaged in handling, servicing, or investigating juvenile cases, 1,120
including any referees whom the judge considers necessary for the 1,121
discharge of the judge's various duties. 1,122
The judge also shall designate the title, compensation, 1,124
expense allowances, hours, leaves of absence, and vacation of the 1,125
personnel of the division and shall fix their duties. The duties 1,126
29
of the personnel, in addition to other statutory duties, include 1,127
the handling, servicing, and investigation of juvenile cases and 1,128
providing any counseling and conciliation services that the court 1,129
makes available to persons, whether or not the persons are 1,130
parties to an action pending in the court, who request the 1,131
services. 1,132
(3) If one of the judges of the court of common pleas, 1,134
general division, is sick, absent, or unable to perform that the 1,135
judge's judicial duties or the volume of cases pending in the 1,136
general division necessitates it, the duties of that judge of the 1,138
general division shall be performed by the judge of the division 1,139
of domestic relations and the judge of the juvenile division. 1,140
(P) In Portage county, the judge of the court of common 1,142
pleas, whose term begins January 2, 1987, and successors, shall 1,143
have the same qualifications, exercise the same powers and 1,144
jurisdiction, and receive the same compensation as the other 1,145
judges of the court of common pleas of Portage county and shall 1,146
be elected and designated as judge of the court of common pleas, 1,147
division of domestic relations. The judge shall be assigned all 1,149
divorce, dissolution of marriage, legal separation, and annulment 1,151
cases coming before the court, except in cases that for some 1,152
special reason are assigned to some other judge of the court of 1,153
common pleas. The judge shall be charged with the assignment and 1,154
division of the work of the division and with the employment and 1,155
supervision of all other personnel of the domestic relations 1,156
division.
The judge also shall designate the title, compensation, 1,158
expense allowances, hours, leaves of absence, and vacations of 1,159
the personnel of the division and shall fix their duties. The 1,160
duties of the personnel, in addition to other statutory duties, 1,161
shall include the handling, servicing, and investigation of 1,162
divorce, dissolution of marriage, legal separation, and annulment 1,163
cases and providing any counseling and conciliation services that 1,164
the division makes available to persons, whether or not the 1,165
30
persons are parties to an action pending in the division, who 1,166
request the services. 1,167
(Q) In Clermont county, the judge of the court of common 1,169
pleas, whose term begins January 2, 1987, and successors, shall 1,170
have the same qualifications, exercise the same powers and 1,171
jurisdiction, and receive the same compensation as the other 1,172
judges of the court of common pleas of Clermont county and shall 1,173
be elected and designated as judge of the court of common pleas, 1,174
division of domestic relations. The judge shall be assigned all 1,176
divorce, dissolution of marriage, legal separation, and annulment 1,178
cases coming before the court, except in cases that for some 1,179
special reason are assigned to some other judge of the court of 1,180
common pleas. The judge shall be charged with the assignment and 1,181
division of the work of the division and with the employment and 1,182
supervision of all other personnel of the domestic relations 1,183
division.
The judge also shall designate the title, compensation, 1,185
expense allowances, hours, leaves of absence, and vacations of 1,186
the personnel of the division and shall fix their duties. The 1,187
duties of the personnel, in addition to other statutory duties, 1,188
shall include the handling, servicing, and investigation of 1,189
divorce, dissolution of marriage, legal separation, and annulment 1,190
cases and providing any counseling and conciliation services that 1,191
the division makes available to persons, whether or not the 1,192
persons are parties to an action pending in the division, who 1,193
request the services. 1,194
(R) In Warren county, the judge of the court of common 1,196
pleas, whose term begins January 1, 1987, and successors, shall 1,197
have the same qualifications, exercise the same powers and 1,198
jurisdiction, and receive the same compensation as the other 1,199
judges of the court of common pleas of Warren county and shall be 1,200
elected and designated as judge of the court of common pleas, 1,201
division of domestic relations. The judge shall be assigned all 1,203
divorce, dissolution of marriage, legal separation, and annulment 1,205
31
cases coming before the court, except in cases that for some 1,206
special reason are assigned to some other judge of the court of 1,207
common pleas. The judge shall be charged with the assignment and 1,208
division of the work of the division and with the employment and 1,209
supervision of all other personnel of the domestic relations 1,210
division.
The judge also shall designate the title, compensation, 1,212
expense allowances, hours, leaves of absence, and vacations of 1,213
the personnel of the division and shall fix their duties. The 1,214
duties of the personnel, in addition to other statutory duties, 1,215
shall include the handling, servicing, and investigation of 1,216
divorce, dissolution of marriage, legal separation, and annulment 1,217
cases and providing any counseling and conciliation services that 1,218
the division makes available to persons, whether or not the 1,219
persons are parties to an action pending in the division, who 1,220
request the services. 1,221
(S) In Licking county, the judge of the court of common 1,223
pleas, whose term begins January 1, 1991, and successors, shall 1,224
have the same qualifications, exercise the same powers and 1,225
jurisdiction, and receive the same compensation as the other 1,226
judges of the court of common pleas of Licking county and shall 1,227
be elected and designated as judge of the court of common pleas, 1,228
division of domestic relations. The judge shall be assigned all 1,230
divorce, dissolution of marriage, legal separation, and annulment 1,232
cases, all cases arising under Chapter 3111. of the Revised Code, 1,233
all proceedings involving child support, the allocation of 1,234
parental rights and responsibilities for the care of children and 1,235
the designation for the children of a place of residence and 1,236
legal custodian, and visitation, and all post-decree proceedings 1,237
and matters arising from those cases and proceedings, except in 1,238
cases that for some special reason are assigned to another judge 1,239
of the court of common pleas. The judge shall be charged with 1,240
the assignment and division of the work of the division and with 1,241
the employment and supervision of the personnel of the division. 1,242
32
The judge shall designate the title, compensation, expense 1,244
allowances, hours, leaves of absence, and vacations of the 1,245
personnel of the division and shall fix the duties of the 1,246
personnel of the division. The duties of the personnel of the 1,247
division, in addition to other statutory duties, shall include 1,248
the handling, servicing, and investigation of divorce, 1,249
dissolution of marriage, legal separation, and annulment cases, 1,250
cases arising under Chapter 3111. of the Revised Code, and 1,251
proceedings involving child support, the allocation of parental 1,252
rights and responsibilities for the care of children and the 1,253
designation for the children of a place of residence and legal 1,254
custodian, and visitation and providing any counseling and 1,255
conciliation services that the division makes available to 1,256
persons, whether or not the persons are parties to an action 1,257
pending in the division, who request the services. 1,258
(T) In Allen county, the judge of the court of common 1,260
pleas, whose term begins January 1, 1993, and successors, shall 1,261
have the same qualifications, exercise the same powers and 1,262
jurisdiction, and receive the same compensation as the other 1,263
judges of the court of common pleas of Allen county and shall be 1,264
elected and designated as judge of the court of common pleas, 1,265
division of domestic relations. The judge shall be assigned all 1,267
divorce, dissolution of marriage, legal separation, and annulment 1,269
cases, all cases arising under Chapter 3111. of the Revised Code, 1,270
all proceedings involving child support, the allocation of 1,271
parental rights and responsibilities for the care of children and 1,272
the designation for the children of a place of residence and 1,273
legal custodian, and visitation, and all post-decree proceedings 1,274
and matters arising from those cases and proceedings, except in 1,275
cases that for some special reason are assigned to another judge 1,276
of the court of common pleas. The judge shall be charged with 1,277
the assignment and division of the work of the division and with 1,278
the employment and supervision of the personnel of the division. 1,279
The judge shall designate the title, compensation, expense 1,281
33
allowances, hours, leaves of absence, and vacations of the 1,282
personnel of the division and shall fix the duties of the 1,283
personnel of the division. The duties of the personnel of the 1,284
division, in addition to other statutory duties, shall include 1,285
the handling, servicing, and investigation of divorce, 1,286
dissolution of marriage, legal separation, and annulment cases, 1,287
cases arising under Chapter 3111. of the Revised Code, and 1,288
proceedings involving child support, the allocation of parental 1,289
rights and responsibilities for the care of children and the 1,290
designation for the children of a place of residence and legal 1,291
custodian, and visitation, and providing any counseling and 1,292
conciliation services that the division makes available to 1,293
persons, whether or not the persons are parties to an action 1,294
pending in the division, who request the services. 1,295
(U) In Medina county, the judge of the court of common 1,297
pleas whose term begins January 1, 1995, and successors, shall 1,298
have the same qualifications, exercise the same powers and 1,299
jurisdiction, and receive the same compensation as other judges 1,300
of the court of common pleas of Medina county and shall be 1,301
elected and designated as judge of the court of common pleas, 1,302
division of domestic relations. The judge shall be assigned all 1,304
divorce, dissolution of marriage, legal separation, and annulment 1,306
cases, all cases arising under Chapter 3111. of the Revised Code, 1,307
all proceedings involving child support, the allocation of 1,308
parental rights and responsibilities for the care of children and 1,309
the designation for the children of a place of residence and 1,310
legal custodian, and visitation, and all post-decree proceedings 1,311
and matters arising from those cases and proceedings, except in 1,312
cases that for some special reason are assigned to another judge 1,313
of the court of common pleas. The judge shall be charged with 1,314
the assignment and division of the work of the division and with 1,315
the employment and supervision of the personnel of the division. 1,316
The judge shall designate the title, compensation, expense 1,318
allowances, hours, leaves of absence, and vacations of the 1,319
34
personnel of the division and shall fix the duties of the 1,320
personnel of the division. The duties of the personnel, in 1,321
addition to other statutory duties, include the handling, 1,322
servicing, and investigation of divorce, dissolution of marriage, 1,323
legal separation, and annulment cases, cases arising under 1,324
Chapter 3111. of the Revised Code, and proceedings involving 1,325
child support, the allocation of parental rights and 1,326
responsibilities for the care of children and the designation for 1,327
the children of a place of residence and legal custodian, and 1,328
visitation, and providing counseling and conciliation services 1,329
that the division makes available to persons, whether or not the 1,330
persons are parties to an action pending in the division, who 1,331
request the services. 1,332
(V) In Fairfield county, the judge of the court of common 1,334
pleas whose term begins January 2, 1995, and successors, shall 1,335
have the same qualifications, exercise the same powers and 1,336
jurisdiction, and receive the same compensation as the other 1,337
judges of the court of common pleas of Fairfield county and shall 1,338
be elected and designated as judge of the court of common pleas, 1,339
division of domestic relations. The judge shall be assigned all 1,341
divorce, dissolution of marriage, legal separation, and annulment 1,343
cases, all cases arising under Chapter 3111. of the Revised Code, 1,344
all proceedings involving child support, the allocation of 1,345
parental rights and responsibilities for the care of children and 1,346
the designation for the children of a place of residence and 1,347
legal custodian, and visitation, and all post-decree proceedings 1,348
and matters arising from those cases and proceedings, except in 1,349
cases that for some special reason are assigned to another judge 1,350
of the court of common pleas. The judge also has concurrent 1,351
jurisdiction with the probate-juvenile division of the court of
common pleas of Fairfield county with respect to and may hear 1,352
cases to determine the custody of a child, as defined in section 1,353
2151.011 of the Revised Code, who is not the ward of another 1,354
court of this state, cases that are commenced by a parent, 1,355
35
guardian, or custodian of a child, as defined in section 2151.011
of the Revised Code, to obtain an order requiring a parent of the 1,356
child to pay child support for that child when the request for 1,357
that order is not ancillary to an action for divorce, dissolution 1,358
of marriage, annulment, or legal separation, a criminal or civil 1,359
action involving an allegation of domestic violence, an action 1,360
for support under Chapter 3115. of the Revised Code, or an action
that is within the exclusive original jurisdiction of the 1,361
probate-juvenile division of the court of common pleas of 1,362
Fairfield county and that involves an allegation that the child 1,363
is an abused, neglected, or dependent child, and post-decree 1,364
proceedings and matters arising from those types of cases.
The judge of the domestic relations division shall be 1,366
charged with the assignment and division of the work of the 1,369
division and with the employment and supervision of the personnel 1,370
of the division.
The judge shall designate the title, compensation, expense 1,372
allowances, hours, leaves of absence, and vacations of the 1,373
personnel of the division and shall fix the duties of the 1,374
personnel of the division. The duties of the personnel of the 1,375
division, in addition to other statutory duties, shall include 1,376
the handling, servicing, and investigation of divorce, 1,377
dissolution of marriage, legal separation, and annulment cases, 1,378
cases arising under Chapter 3111. of the Revised Code, and 1,379
proceedings involving child support, the allocation of parental 1,380
rights and responsibilities for the care of children and the 1,381
designation for the children of a place of residence and legal 1,382
custodian, and visitation, and providing any counseling and 1,383
conciliation services that the division makes available to 1,384
persons, regardless of whether the persons are parties to an 1,385
action pending in the division, who request the services. When 1,387
the judge hears a case to determine the custody of a child, as
defined in section 2151.011 of the Revised Code, who is not the 1,388
ward of another court of this state or a case that is commenced 1,389
36
by a parent, guardian, or custodian of a child, as defined in 1,390
section 2151.011 of the Revised Code, to obtain an order 1,391
requiring a parent of the child to pay child support for that
child when the request for that order is not ancillary to an 1,392
action for divorce, dissolution of marriage, annulment, or legal 1,393
separation, a criminal or civil action involving an allegation of 1,394
domestic violence, an action for support under Chapter 3115. of 1,395
the Revised Code, or an action that is within the exclusive 1,396
original jurisdiction of the probate-juvenile division of the
court of common pleas of Fairfiled FAIRFIELD county and that 1,397
involves an allegation that the child is an abused, neglected, or 1,399
dependent child, the duties of the personnel of the domestic 1,400
relations division also include the handling, servicing, and
investigation of those types of cases. 1,401
(W)(1) In Clark county, the judge of the court of common 1,403
pleas whose term begins on January 2, 1995, and successors, shall 1,404
have the same qualifications, exercise the same powers and 1,405
jurisdiction, and receive the same compensation as other judges 1,406
of the court of common pleas of Clark county and shall be elected 1,407
and designated as judge of the court of common pleas, domestic 1,408
relations division. The judge shall have all the powers relating 1,410
to juvenile courts, and all cases under Chapter 2151. of the 1,411
Revised Code and all parentage proceedings under Chapter 3111. of 1,412
the Revised Code over which the juvenile court has jurisdiction 1,413
shall be assigned to the judge of the division of domestic 1,414
relations. All divorce, dissolution of marriage, legal 1,415
separation, annulment, uniform reciprocal support enforcement, 1,416
and other cases related to domestic relations shall be assigned 1,417
to the domestic relations division, and the presiding judge of 1,418
the court of common pleas shall assign the cases to the judge of 1,419
the domestic relations division and the judges of the general 1,420
division. 1,421
(2) In addition to the judge's regular duties, the judge 1,423
of the division of domestic relations shall serve on the children 1,425
37
services board and the county advisory board. 1,426
(3) If the judge of the court of common pleas of Clark 1,428
county, division of domestic relations, is sick, absent, or 1,429
unable to perform that the judge's judicial duties or if the 1,430
presiding judge of the court of common pleas of Clark county 1,433
determines that the volume of cases pending in the division of 1,434
domestic relations necessitates it, the duties of the judge of 1,435
the division of domestic relations shall be performed by the 1,436
judges of the general division or probate division of the court 1,437
of common pleas of Clark county, as assigned for that purpose by 1,438
the presiding judge of that court, and the judges so assigned 1,439
shall act in conjunction with the judge of the division of 1,440
domestic relations of that court. 1,441
(X) In Scioto county, the judge of the court of common 1,443
pleas whose term begins January 2, 1995, and successors, shall 1,445
have the same qualifications, exercise the same powers and 1,446
jurisdiction, and receive the same compensation as other judges 1,447
of the court of common pleas of Scioto county and shall be 1,448
elected and designated as judge of the court of common pleas, 1,449
division of domestic relations. The judge shall be assigned all 1,451
divorce, dissolution of marriage, legal separation, and annulment 1,453
cases, all cases arising under Chapter 3111. of the Revised Code, 1,454
all proceedings involving child support, the allocation of 1,455
parental rights and responsibilities for the care of children and 1,456
the designation for the children of a place of residence and 1,457
legal custodian, visitation, and all post-decree proceedings and 1,458
matters arising from those cases and proceedings, except in cases 1,459
that for some special reason are assigned to another judge of the 1,460
court of common pleas. The judge shall be charged with the 1,461
assignment and division of the work of the division and with the 1,462
employment and supervision of the personnel of the division. 1,463
The judge shall designate the title, compensation, expense 1,465
allowances, hours, leaves of absence, and vacations of the 1,466
personnel of the division and shall fix the duties of the 1,467
38
personnel of the division. The duties of the personnel, in 1,468
addition to other statutory duties, include the handling, 1,469
servicing, and investigation of divorce, dissolution of marriage, 1,470
legal separation, and annulment cases, cases arising under 1,471
Chapter 3111. of the Revised Code, and proceedings involving 1,472
child support, the allocation of parental rights and 1,473
responsibilities for the care of children and the designation for 1,474
the children of a place of residence and legal custodian, and 1,475
visitation, and providing counseling and conciliation services 1,476
that the division makes available to persons, whether or not the 1,477
persons are parties to an action pending in the division, who 1,478
request the services. 1,479
(Y) In Auglaize county, the judge of the probate and 1,481
juvenile divisions of the Auglaize county court of common pleas 1,482
also shall be the administrative judge of the domestic relations 1,483
division of the court and shall be assigned all divorce, 1,485
dissolution of marriage, legal separation, and annulment cases 1,486
coming before the court. The judge shall have all powers as 1,487
administrator of the domestic relations division and shall have 1,488
charge of the personnel engaged in handling, servicing, or 1,489
investigating divorce, dissolution of marriage, legal separation, 1,490
and annulment cases, including any referees considered necessary 1,491
for the discharge of the judge's various duties. 1,492
(Z) If a judge of the court of common pleas, division of 1,494
domestic relations, or juvenile judge, of any of the counties 1,495
mentioned in this section is sick, absent, or unable to perform 1,496
that the judge's judicial duties or the volume of cases pending 1,497
in the judge's division necessitates it, the duties of that judge 1,500
shall be performed by another judge of the court of common pleas 1,501
of that county, assigned for that purpose by the presiding judge 1,502
of the court of common pleas of that county to act in place of or 1,503
in conjunction with that judge, as the case may require. 1,504
Section 2. That existing sections 2301.02 and 2301.03 of 1,506
the Revised Code are hereby repealed. 1,507
39
Section 3. Section 2301.03 of the Revised Code is 1,509
presented in this act as a composite of the section as amended by 1,510
both Sub. H.B. 377 and Am. Sub. S.B. 269 of the 121st General 1,511
Assembly, with the new language of neither of the acts shown in 1,513
capital letters. This is in recognition of the principle stated 1,514
in division (B) of section 1.52 of the Revised Code that such 1,515
amendments are to be harmonized where not substantively 1,516
irreconcilable and constitutes a legislative finding that such is 1,517
the resulting version in effect prior to the effective date of 1,518
this act.