As Reported by the House Criminal Justice Committee 1
122nd General Assembly 4
Regular Session Sub. H. B. No. 444 5
1997-1998 6
REPRESENTATIVES TAYLOR-BENDER-METELSKY-GARCIA 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
(D)(1) In Lucas county, the judges of the court of common 577
pleas whose terms begin on January 1, 1955, and January 3, 1965, 578
and successors, shall have the same qualifications, exercise the 579
same powers and jurisdiction, and receive the same compensation 580
as other judges of the court of common pleas of Lucas county and 581
shall be elected and designated as judges of the court of common 582
pleas, division of domestic relations. All divorce, dissolution 583
of marriage, legal separation, and annulment cases shall be 584
assigned to them. 585
The judge of the division of domestic relations, senior in 587
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point of service, shall be considered as the presiding judge of 588
the court of common pleas, division of domestic relations, and 589
shall be charged exclusively with the assignment and division of 590
the work of the division and the employment and supervision of 591
all other personnel of the domestic relations division. 592
(2) The judges of the court of common pleas whose terms 594
begin on January 5, 1977, and January 2, 1991, and successors 595
shall have the same qualifications, exercise the same powers and 596
jurisdiction, and receive the same compensation as other judges 597
of the court of common pleas of Lucas county, shall be elected 598
and designated as judges of the court of common pleas, juvenile 599
division, and shall be the juvenile judges as provided in Chapter 600
2151. of the Revised Code with the powers and jurisdictions 601
conferred by that chapter. In addition to the judge's regular 603
duties, the judge of the court of common pleas, juvenile 604
division, senior in point of service, shall be the administrator 605
of the juvenile division and its subdivisions and departments and 606
shall have charge of the employment, assignment, and supervision 607
of the personnel of the division engaged in handling, servicing, 608
or investigating juvenile cases, including any referees 609
considered necessary by the judges of the division in the 610
discharge of their various duties. 611
The judge of the court of common pleas, juvenile division, 613
senior in point of service, also shall designate the title, 614
compensation, expense allowance, hours, leaves of absence, and 615
vacation of the personnel of the division and shall fix the 616
duties of the personnel of the division. The duties of the 617
personnel, in addition to other statutory duties include the 618
handling, servicing, and investigation of juvenile cases and 619
counseling and conciliation services that may be made available 620
to persons requesting them, whether or not the persons are 621
parties to an action pending in the division. 622
(3) If one of the judges of the court of common pleas, 624
division of domestic relations, or one of the judges of the 625
16
juvenile division is sick, absent, or unable to perform that the 626
judge's judicial duties or the volume of cases pending in that 628
judge's division necessitates it, the duties shall be performed 629
by the judges of the other of those divisions. 631
(E)(1) In Mahoning county, the judge of the court of 633
common pleas whose term began on January 1, 1955, and successors, 634
shall have the same qualifications, exercise the same powers and 635
jurisdiction, and receive the same compensation as other judges 636
of the court of common pleas of Mahoning county, shall be elected 637
and designated as judge of the court of common pleas, division of 638
domestic relations, and shall be assigned all the divorce, 641
dissolution of marriage, legal separation, and annulment cases 642
coming before the court. In addition to the judge's regular 643
duties, the judge of the court of common pleas, division of
domestic relations, shall be the administrator of the domestic 644
relations division and its subdivisions and departments and shall 645
have charge of the employment, assignment, and supervision of the 646
personnel of the division engaged in handling, servicing, or 647
investigating divorce, dissolution of marriage, legal separation, 648
and annulment cases, including any referees considered necessary 649
in the discharge of the various duties of the judge's office. 651
The judge also shall designate the title, compensation, 653
expense allowances, hours, leaves of absence, and vacations of 654
the personnel of the division and shall fix the duties of the 655
personnel of the division. The duties of the personnel, in 656
addition to other statutory duties, include the handling, 657
servicing, and investigation of divorce, dissolution of marriage, 658
legal separation, and annulment cases and counseling and 659
conciliation services that may be made available to persons 660
requesting them, whether or not the persons are parties to an 661
action pending in the division. 662
(2) The judge of the court of common pleas whose term 664
began on January 2, 1969, and successors, shall have the same 665
qualifications, exercise the same powers and jurisdiction, and 666
17
receive the same compensation as other judges of the court of 667
common pleas of Mahoning county, shall be elected and designated 668
as judge of court of common pleas, juvenile division, and shall 669
be the juvenile judge as provided in Chapter 2151. of the Revised 670
Code, with the powers and jurisdictions conferred by that 671
chapter. In addition to the judge's regular duties, the judge of 673
the court of common pleas, juvenile division, shall be the 674
administrator of the juvenile division and its subdivisions and 675
departments and shall have charge of the employment, assignment, 676
and supervision of the personnel of the division engaged in 677
handling, servicing, or investigating juvenile cases, including 678
any referees considered necessary by the judge in the discharge 679
of the judge's various duties. 680
The judge also shall designate the title, compensation, 682
expense allowances, hours, leaves of absence, and vacation of the 683
personnel of the division and shall fix the duties of the 684
personnel of the division. The duties of the personnel, in 685
addition to other statutory duties, include the handling, 686
servicing, and investigation of juvenile cases and counseling and 687
conciliation services that may be made available to persons 688
requesting them, whether or not the persons are parties to an 689
action pending in the division. 690
(3) If a judge of the court of common pleas, division of 692
domestic relations or juvenile division, is sick, absent, or 693
unable to perform that judge's judicial duties, or the volume of 695
cases pending in that judge's division necessitates it, that the 697
judge's duties shall be performed by another judge of the court 698
of common pleas.
(F)(1) In Montgomery county, the judges of the court of 700
common pleas whose terms begin on January 2, 1953, and January 4, 701
1977, and successors, shall have the same qualifications, 702
exercise the same powers and jurisdiction, and receive the same 703
compensation as other judges of the court of common pleas of 704
Montgomery county and shall be elected and designated as judges 705
18
of the court of common pleas, division of domestic relations. 706
These judges shall have assigned to them all divorce, dissolution 707
of marriage, legal separation, and annulment cases. 708
The judge of the division of domestic relations, senior in 710
point of service, shall be charged exclusively with the 711
assignment and division of the work of the division and shall 712
have charge of the employment and supervision of the personnel of 713
the division engaged in handling, servicing, or investigating 714
divorce, dissolution of marriage, legal separation, and annulment 715
cases, including any necessary referees, except those employees 716
who may be appointed by the judge, junior in point of service, 717
under this section and sections 2301.12, 2301.18, and 2301.19 of 718
the Revised Code. The judge of the division of domestic 719
relations, senior in point of service, also shall designate the 720
title, compensation, expense allowances, hours, leaves of 721
absence, and vacation of the personnel of the division and shall 722
fix their duties. 723
(2) The judges of the court of common pleas whose terms 725
begin on January 1, 1953, and January 1, 1993, and successors, 726
shall have the same qualifications, exercise the same powers and 727
jurisdiction, and receive the same compensation as other judges 728
of the court of common pleas of Montgomery county, shall be 729
elected and designated as judges of the court of common pleas, 730
juvenile division, and shall be, and have the powers and 731
jurisdiction of, the juvenile judge as provided in Chapter 2151. 732
of the Revised Code. 733
In addition to the judge's regular duties, the judge of the 735
court of common pleas, juvenile division, senior in point of 737
service, shall be the administrator of the juvenile division and 738
its subdivisions and departments and shall have charge of the 739
employment, assignment, and supervision of the personnel of the 740
juvenile division, including any necessary referees, who are 741
engaged in handling, servicing, or investigating juvenile cases. 742
The judge, senior in point of service, also shall designate the 743
19
title, compensation, expense allowances, hours, leaves of 744
absence, and vacation of the personnel of the division and shall 745
fix their duties. The duties of the personnel, in addition to 746
other statutory duties, shall include the handling, servicing, 747
and investigation of juvenile cases and of any counseling and 748
conciliation services that are available upon request to persons, 749
whether or not they are parties to an action pending in the 750
division. 751
If one of the judges of the court of common pleas, division 753
of domestic relations, or one of the judges of the court of 754
common pleas, juvenile division, is sick, absent, or unable to 755
perform that the judge's duties or the volume of cases pending in 757
that judge's division necessitates it, the duties of that judge 759
may be performed by the judge or judges of the other of those 760
divisions.
(G) In Richland county, the judge of the court of common 762
pleas whose term begins on January 1, 1957, and successors, shall 763
have the same qualifications, exercise the same powers and 764
jurisdiction, and receive the same compensation as the other 765
judges of the court of common pleas of Richland county and shall 766
be elected and designated as judge of the court of common pleas, 767
division of domestic relations. That judge shall have all of the 769
powers relating to juvenile courts, and all cases under Chapter 770
2151. of the Revised Code, all parentage proceedings over which 771
the juvenile court has jurisdiction, and all divorce, dissolution 772
of marriage, legal separation, and annulment cases shall be 773
assigned to that judge, except in cases that for some special 774
reason are assigned to some other judge of the court of common 776
pleas.
(H) In Stark county, the judges of the court of common 778
pleas whose terms begin on January 1, 1953, January 2, 1959, and 779
January 1, 1993, and successors, shall have the same 780
qualifications, exercise the same powers and jurisdiction, and 781
receive the same compensation as other judges of the court of 782
20
common pleas of Stark county and shall be elected and designated 783
as judges of the court of common pleas, division of domestic 784
relations. They shall have all the powers relating to juvenile 785
courts, and all cases under Chapter 2151. of the Revised Code, 786
all parentage proceedings over which the juvenile court has 787
jurisdiction, and all divorce, dissolution of marriage, legal 788
separation, and annulment cases, except cases that are assigned 789
to some other judge of the court of common pleas for some special 790
reason, shall be assigned to the judges. 791
The judge of the division of domestic relations, second 793
most senior in point of service, shall have charge of the 794
employment and supervision of the personnel of the division 795
engaged in handling, servicing, or investigating divorce, 796
dissolution of marriage, legal separation, and annulment cases, 797
and necessary referees required for his THE JUDGE'S respective 798
court. 799
The judge of the division of domestic relations, senior in 801
point of service, shall be charged exclusively with the 802
administration of sections 2151.13, 2151.16, 2151.17, and 2151.18 803
of the Revised Code and with the assignment and division of the 804
work of the division and the employment and supervision of all 805
other personnel of the division, including, but not limited to, 806
that judge's necessary referees, but excepting those employees 808
who may be appointed by the judge second most senior in point of 809
service. The senior judge further shall serve as administrator 810
of the bureau of aid to dependent children and shall serve in 811
every other position in which the statutes permit or require a 812
juvenile judge to serve. 813
(I) In Summit county: 815
(1) The judges of the court of common pleas whose terms 817
begin on January 4, 1967, and January 6, 1993, and successors, 818
shall have the same qualifications, exercise the same powers and 819
jurisdiction, and receive the same compensation as other judges 820
of the court of common pleas of Summit county and shall be 821
21
elected and designated as judges of the court of common pleas, 822
division of domestic relations. The judges of the division of 823
domestic relations shall have assigned to them and hear all 824
divorce, dissolution of marriage, legal separation, and annulment 825
cases that come before the court. 826
The judge of the division of domestic relations, senior in 828
point of service, shall be the administrator of the domestic 829
relations division and its subdivisions and departments and shall 830
have charge of the employment, assignment, and supervision of the 831
personnel of the division, including any necessary referees, who 832
are engaged in handling, servicing, or investigating divorce, 833
dissolution of marriage, legal separation, and annulment cases. 834
That judge also shall designate the title, compensation, expense 835
allowances, hours, leaves of absence, and vacations of the 836
personnel of the division and shall fix their duties. The duties 837
of the personnel, in addition to other statutory duties, shall 838
include the handling, servicing, and investigation of divorce, 839
dissolution of marriage, legal separation, and annulment cases 840
and of any counseling and conciliation services that are 841
available upon request to all persons, whether or not they are 842
parties to an action pending in the division. 843
(2) The judge of the court of common pleas whose term 845
begins on January 1, 1955, and successors, shall have the same 846
qualifications, exercise the same powers and jurisdiction, and 847
receive the same compensation as other judges of the court of 848
common pleas of Summit county, shall be elected and designated as 849
judge of the court of common pleas, juvenile division, and shall 850
be, and have the powers and jurisdiction of, the juvenile judge 851
as provided in Chapter 2151. of the Revised Code. 852
The juvenile judge shall be the administrator of the 854
juvenile division and its subdivisions and departments and shall 855
have charge of the employment, assignment, and supervision of the 856
personnel of the juvenile division, including any necessary 857
referees, who are engaged in handling, servicing, or 858
22
investigating juvenile cases. The judge also shall designate the 859
title, compensation, expense allowances, hours, leaves of 860
absence, and vacation of the personnel of the division and shall 861
fix their duties. The duties of the personnel, in addition to 862
other statutory duties, shall include the handling, servicing, 863
and investigation of juvenile cases and of any counseling and 864
conciliation services that are available upon request to persons, 865
whether or not they are parties to an action pending in the 866
division. 867
(J) In Trumbull county, the judges of the court of common 869
pleas whose terms begin on January 1, 1953, and January 2, 1977, 870
and successors, shall have the same qualifications, exercise the 871
same powers and jurisdiction, and receive the same compensation 872
as other judges of the court of common pleas of Trumbull county 873
and shall be elected and designated as judges of the court of 874
common pleas, division of domestic relations. They shall have 875
all the powers relating to juvenile courts, and all cases under 876
Chapter 2151. of the Revised Code, all parentage proceedings over 877
which the juvenile court has jurisdiction, and all divorce, 878
dissolution of marriage, legal separation, and annulment cases 879
shall be assigned to them, except cases that for some special 880
reason are assigned to some other judge of the court of common 881
pleas. 882
(K) In Butler county: 884
(1) The judges of the court of common pleas whose terms 886
begin on January 1, 1957, and January 4, 1993, and successors, 887
shall have the same qualifications, exercise the same powers and 888
jurisdiction, and receive the same compensation as other judges 889
of the court of common pleas of Butler county and shall be 890
elected and designated as judges of the court of common pleas, 891
division of domestic relations. The judges of the division of 892
domestic relations shall have assigned to them all divorce, 893
dissolution of marriage, legal separation, and annulment cases 894
coming before the court, except in cases that for some special 895
23
reason are assigned to some other judge of the court of common 896
pleas. The judge senior in point of service shall be charged 897
with the assignment and division of the work of the division and 898
with the employment and supervision of all other personnel of the 899
domestic relations division. 900
The judge senior in point of service also shall designate 902
the title, compensation, expense allowances, hours, leaves of 903
absence, and vacations of the personnel of the division and shall 904
fix their duties. The duties of the personnel, in addition to 905
other statutory duties, shall include the handling, servicing, 906
and investigation of divorce, dissolution of marriage, legal 907
separation, and annulment cases and providing any counseling and 908
conciliation services that the division makes available to 909
persons, whether or not the persons are parties to an action 910
pending in the division, who request the services. 911
(2) The judge of the court of common pleas whose term 913
begins on January 3, 1987, and successors, shall have the same 914
qualifications, exercise the same powers and jurisdiction, and 915
receive the same compensation as other judges of the court of 916
common pleas of Butler county, shall be elected and designated as 917
judge of the court of common pleas, juvenile division, and shall 918
be the juvenile judge as provided in Chapter 2151. of the Revised 919
Code, with the powers and jurisdictions conferred by that 920
chapter. The judge of the court of common pleas, juvenile 921
division, shall be the administrator of the juvenile division and 922
its subdivisions and departments. The judge shall have charge of 923
the employment, assignment, and supervision of the personnel of 924
the juvenile division who are engaged in handling, servicing, or 925
investigating juvenile cases, including any referees whom the 926
judge considers necessary for the discharge of the judge's 927
various duties. 928
The judge also shall designate the title, compensation, 930
expense allowances, hours, leaves of absence, and vacation of the 931
personnel of the division and shall fix their duties. The duties 932
24
of the personnel, in addition to other statutory duties, include 933
the handling, servicing, and investigation of juvenile cases and 934
providing any counseling and conciliation services that the 935
division makes available to persons, whether or not the persons 936
are parties to an action pending in the division, who request the 937
services. 938
(3) If a judge of the court of common pleas, division of 940
domestic relations or juvenile division, is sick, absent, or 941
unable to perform that the judge's judicial duties or the volume 942
of cases pending in the judge's division necessitates it, the 945
duties of that judge shall be performed by the other judges of 946
the domestic relations and juvenile divisions. 947
(L)(1) In Cuyahoga county, the judges of the court of 949
common pleas whose terms begin on January 8, 1961, January 9, 950
1961, January 18, 1975, January 19, 1975, and January 13, 1987, 951
and successors, shall have the same qualifications, exercise the 952
same powers and jurisdiction, and receive the same compensation 953
as other judges of the court of common pleas of Cuyahoga county 954
and shall be elected and designated as judges of the court of 955
common pleas, division of domestic relations. They shall have 956
all the powers relating to all divorce, dissolution of marriage, 957
legal separation, and annulment cases, except in cases that are 958
assigned to some other judge of the court of common pleas for 959
some special reason. 960
(2) The administrative judge is administrator of the 962
domestic relations division and its subdivisions and departments 963
and has the following powers concerning division personnel: 964
(a) Full charge of the employment, assignment, and 966
supervision; 967
(b) Sole determination of compensation, duties, expenses, 969
allowances, hours, leaves, and vacations. 970
(3) "Division personnel" include persons employed or 972
referees engaged in hearing, servicing, investigating, 973
counseling, or conciliating divorce, dissolution of marriage, 974
25
legal separation and annulment matters. 975
(M) In Lake county: 977
(1) The judge of the court of common pleas whose term 979
begins on January 2, 1961, and successors, shall have the same 980
qualifications, exercise the same powers and jurisdiction, and 981
receive the same compensation as the other judges of the court of 982
common pleas of Lake county and shall be elected and designated 983
as judge of the court of common pleas, division of domestic 984
relations. The judge shall be assigned all the divorce, 986
dissolution of marriage, legal separation, and annulment cases 987
coming before the court, except in cases that for some special 988
reason are assigned to some other judge of the court of common 989
pleas. The judge shall be charged with the assignment and 990
division of the work of the division and with the employment and 991
supervision of all other personnel of the domestic relations 992
division. 993
The judge also shall designate the title, compensation, 995
expense allowances, hours, leaves of absence, and vacations of 996
the personnel of the division and shall fix their duties. The 997
duties of the personnel, in addition to other statutory duties, 998
shall include the handling, servicing, and investigation of 999
divorce, dissolution of marriage, legal separation, and annulment 1,000
cases and providing any counseling and conciliation services that 1,001
the division makes available to persons, whether or not the 1,002
persons are parties to an action pending in the division, who 1,003
request the services. 1,004
(2) The judge of the court of common pleas whose term 1,006
begins on January 4, 1979, and successors, shall have the same 1,007
qualifications, exercise the same powers and jurisdiction, and 1,008
receive the same compensation as other judges of the court of 1,009
common pleas of Lake county, shall be elected and designated as 1,010
judge of the court of common pleas, juvenile division, and shall 1,011
be the juvenile judge as provided in Chapter 2151. of the Revised 1,012
Code, with the powers and jurisdictions conferred by that 1,013
26
chapter. The judge of the court of common pleas, juvenile 1,014
division, shall be the administrator of the juvenile division and 1,015
its subdivisions and departments. The judge shall have charge of 1,016
the employment, assignment, and supervision of the personnel of 1,017
the juvenile division who are engaged in handling, servicing, or 1,018
investigating juvenile cases, including any referees whom the 1,019
judge considers necessary for the discharge of the judge's 1,020
various duties. 1,021
The judge also shall designate the title, compensation, 1,023
expense allowances, hours, leaves of absence, and vacation of the 1,024
personnel of the division and shall fix their duties. The duties 1,025
of the personnel, in addition to other statutory duties, include 1,026
the handling, servicing, and investigation of juvenile cases and 1,027
providing any counseling and conciliation services that the 1,028
division makes available to persons, whether or not the persons 1,029
are parties to an action pending in the division, who request the 1,030
services. 1,031
(3) If a judge of the court of common pleas, division of 1,033
domestic relations or juvenile division, is sick, absent, or 1,034
unable to perform that the judge's judicial duties or the volume 1,035
of cases pending in the judge's division necessitates it, the 1,038
duties of that judge shall be performed by the other judges of 1,039
the domestic relations and juvenile divisions. 1,040
(N) In Erie county, the judge of the court of common pleas 1,042
whose term begins on January 2, 1971, and successors, shall have 1,043
the same qualifications, exercise the same powers and 1,044
jurisdiction, and receive the same compensation as the other 1,045
judge of the court of common pleas of Erie county and shall be 1,046
elected and designated as judge of the court of common pleas, 1,047
division of domestic relations. The judge shall have all the 1,048
powers relating to juvenile courts, and shall be assigned all 1,049
cases under Chapter 2151. of the Revised Code, parentage 1,051
proceedings over which the juvenile court has jurisdiction, and 1,053
divorce, dissolution of marriage, legal separation, and annulment 1,054
27
cases, except cases that for some special reason are assigned to 1,055
some other judge. 1,056
(O) In Greene county: 1,058
(1) The judge of the court of common pleas whose term 1,060
begins on January 1, 1961, and successors, shall have the same 1,061
qualifications, exercise the same powers and jurisdiction, and 1,062
receive the same compensation as the other judges of the court of 1,063
common pleas of Greene county and shall be elected and designated 1,064
as the judge of the court of common pleas, division of domestic 1,065
relations. The judge shall be assigned all divorce, dissolution 1,067
of marriage, legal separation, annulment, uniform reciprocal 1,068
support enforcement, and domestic violence cases and all other 1,069
cases related to domestic relations, except cases that for some 1,070
special reason are assigned to some other judge of the court of 1,071
common pleas.
The judge shall be charged with the assignment and division 1,073
of the work of the division and with the employment and 1,074
supervision of all other personnel of the division. The judge 1,076
also shall designate the title, compensation, hours, leaves of 1,078
absence, and vacations of the personnel of the division and shall 1,079
fix their duties. The duties of the personnel of the division, 1,080
in addition to other statutory duties, shall include the 1,081
handling, servicing, and investigation of divorce, dissolution of 1,082
marriage, legal separation, and annulment cases and the provision 1,083
of counseling and conciliation services that the division 1,084
considers necessary and makes available to persons who request 1,085
the services, whether or not the persons are parties in an action 1,086
pending in the division. The compensation for the personnel 1,087
shall be paid from the overall court budget and shall be included 1,088
in the appropriations for the existing judges of the general 1,089
division of the court of common pleas.
(2) The judge of the court of common pleas whose term 1,091
begins on January 1, 1995, and successors, shall have the same 1,092
qualifications, exercise the same powers and jurisdiction, and 1,093
28
receive the same compensation as the other judges of the court of 1,094
common pleas of Greene county, shall be elected and designated as 1,095
judge of the court of common pleas, juvenile division, and, on or 1,096
after January 1, 1995, shall be the juvenile judge as provided in 1,097
Chapter 2151. of the Revised Code with the powers and 1,098
jurisdiction conferred by that chapter. The judge of the court 1,099
of common pleas, juvenile division, shall be the administrator of 1,100
the juvenile division and its subdivisions and departments. The 1,101
judge shall have charge of the employment, assignment, and 1,102
supervision of the personnel of the juvenile division who are 1,103
engaged in handling, servicing, or investigating juvenile cases, 1,104
including any referees whom the judge considers necessary for the 1,105
discharge of the judge's various duties. 1,106
The judge also shall designate the title, compensation, 1,108
expense allowances, hours, leaves of absence, and vacation of the 1,109
personnel of the division and shall fix their duties. The duties 1,110
of the personnel, in addition to other statutory duties, include 1,111
the handling, servicing, and investigation of juvenile cases and 1,112
providing any counseling and conciliation services that the court 1,113
makes available to persons, whether or not the persons are 1,114
parties to an action pending in the court, who request the 1,115
services. 1,116
(3) If one of the judges of the court of common pleas, 1,118
general division, is sick, absent, or unable to perform that the 1,119
judge's judicial duties or the volume of cases pending in the 1,120
general division necessitates it, the duties of that judge of the 1,122
general division shall be performed by the judge of the division 1,123
of domestic relations and the judge of the juvenile division. 1,124
(P) In Portage county, the judge of the court of common 1,126
pleas, whose term begins January 2, 1987, and successors, shall 1,127
have the same qualifications, exercise the same powers and 1,128
jurisdiction, and receive the same compensation as the other 1,129
judges of the court of common pleas of Portage county and shall 1,130
be elected and designated as judge of the court of common pleas, 1,131
29
division of domestic relations. The judge shall be assigned all 1,133
divorce, dissolution of marriage, legal separation, and annulment 1,135
cases coming before the court, except in cases that for some 1,136
special reason are assigned to some other judge of the court of 1,137
common pleas. The judge shall be charged with the assignment and 1,138
division of the work of the division and with the employment and 1,139
supervision of all other personnel of the domestic relations 1,140
division.
The judge also shall designate the title, compensation, 1,142
expense allowances, hours, leaves of absence, and vacations of 1,143
the personnel of the division and shall fix their duties. The 1,144
duties of the personnel, in addition to other statutory duties, 1,145
shall include the handling, servicing, and investigation of 1,146
divorce, dissolution of marriage, legal separation, and annulment 1,147
cases and providing any counseling and conciliation services that 1,148
the division makes available to persons, whether or not the 1,149
persons are parties to an action pending in the division, who 1,150
request the services. 1,151
(Q) In Clermont county, the judge of the court of common 1,153
pleas, whose term begins January 2, 1987, and successors, shall 1,154
have the same qualifications, exercise the same powers and 1,155
jurisdiction, and receive the same compensation as the other 1,156
judges of the court of common pleas of Clermont county and shall 1,157
be elected and designated as judge of the court of common pleas, 1,158
division of domestic relations. The judge shall be assigned all 1,160
divorce, dissolution of marriage, legal separation, and annulment 1,162
cases coming before the court, except in cases that for some 1,163
special reason are assigned to some other judge of the court of 1,164
common pleas. The judge shall be charged with the assignment and 1,165
division of the work of the division and with the employment and 1,166
supervision of all other personnel of the domestic relations 1,167
division.
The judge also shall designate the title, compensation, 1,169
expense allowances, hours, leaves of absence, and vacations of 1,170
30
the personnel of the division and shall fix their duties. The 1,171
duties of the personnel, in addition to other statutory duties, 1,172
shall include the handling, servicing, and investigation of 1,173
divorce, dissolution of marriage, legal separation, and annulment 1,174
cases and providing any counseling and conciliation services that 1,175
the division makes available to persons, whether or not the 1,176
persons are parties to an action pending in the division, who 1,177
request the services. 1,178
(R) In Warren county, the judge of the court of common 1,180
pleas, whose term begins January 1, 1987, and successors, shall 1,181
have the same qualifications, exercise the same powers and 1,182
jurisdiction, and receive the same compensation as the other 1,183
judges of the court of common pleas of Warren county and shall be 1,184
elected and designated as judge of the court of common pleas, 1,185
division of domestic relations. The judge shall be assigned all 1,187
divorce, dissolution of marriage, legal separation, and annulment 1,189
cases coming before the court, except in cases that for some 1,190
special reason are assigned to some other judge of the court of 1,191
common pleas. The judge shall be charged with the assignment and 1,192
division of the work of the division and with the employment and 1,193
supervision of all other personnel of the domestic relations 1,194
division.
The judge also shall designate the title, compensation, 1,196
expense allowances, hours, leaves of absence, and vacations of 1,197
the personnel of the division and shall fix their duties. The 1,198
duties of the personnel, in addition to other statutory duties, 1,199
shall include the handling, servicing, and investigation of 1,200
divorce, dissolution of marriage, legal separation, and annulment 1,201
cases and providing any counseling and conciliation services that 1,202
the division makes available to persons, whether or not the 1,203
persons are parties to an action pending in the division, who 1,204
request the services. 1,205
(S) In Licking county, the judge of the court of common 1,207
pleas, whose term begins January 1, 1991, and successors, shall 1,208
31
have the same qualifications, exercise the same powers and 1,209
jurisdiction, and receive the same compensation as the other 1,210
judges of the court of common pleas of Licking county and shall 1,211
be elected and designated as judge of the court of common pleas, 1,212
division of domestic relations. The judge shall be assigned all 1,214
divorce, dissolution of marriage, legal separation, and annulment 1,216
cases, all cases arising under Chapter 3111. of the Revised Code, 1,217
all proceedings involving child support, the allocation of 1,218
parental rights and responsibilities for the care of children and 1,219
the designation for the children of a place of residence and 1,220
legal custodian, and visitation, and all post-decree proceedings 1,221
and matters arising from those cases and proceedings, except in 1,222
cases that for some special reason are assigned to another judge 1,223
of the court of common pleas. The judge shall be charged with 1,224
the assignment and division of the work of the division and with 1,225
the employment and supervision of the personnel of the division. 1,226
The judge shall designate the title, compensation, expense 1,228
allowances, hours, leaves of absence, and vacations of the 1,229
personnel of the division and shall fix the duties of the 1,230
personnel of the division. The duties of the personnel of the 1,231
division, in addition to other statutory duties, shall include 1,232
the handling, servicing, and investigation of divorce, 1,233
dissolution of marriage, legal separation, and annulment cases, 1,234
cases arising under Chapter 3111. of the Revised Code, and 1,235
proceedings involving child support, the allocation of parental 1,236
rights and responsibilities for the care of children and the 1,237
designation for the children of a place of residence and legal 1,238
custodian, and visitation and providing any counseling and 1,239
conciliation services that the division makes available to 1,240
persons, whether or not the persons are parties to an action 1,241
pending in the division, who request the services. 1,242
(T) In Allen county, the judge of the court of common 1,244
pleas, whose term begins January 1, 1993, and successors, shall 1,245
have the same qualifications, exercise the same powers and 1,246
32
jurisdiction, and receive the same compensation as the other 1,247
judges of the court of common pleas of Allen county and shall be 1,248
elected and designated as judge of the court of common pleas, 1,249
division of domestic relations. The judge shall be assigned all 1,251
divorce, dissolution of marriage, legal separation, and annulment 1,253
cases, all cases arising under Chapter 3111. of the Revised Code, 1,254
all proceedings involving child support, the allocation of 1,255
parental rights and responsibilities for the care of children and 1,256
the designation for the children of a place of residence and 1,257
legal custodian, and visitation, and all post-decree proceedings 1,258
and matters arising from those cases and proceedings, except in 1,259
cases that for some special reason are assigned to another judge 1,260
of the court of common pleas. The judge shall be charged with 1,261
the assignment and division of the work of the division and with 1,262
the employment and supervision of the personnel of the division. 1,263
The judge shall designate the title, compensation, expense 1,265
allowances, hours, leaves of absence, and vacations of the 1,266
personnel of the division and shall fix the duties of the 1,267
personnel of the division. The duties of the personnel of the 1,268
division, in addition to other statutory duties, shall include 1,269
the handling, servicing, and investigation of divorce, 1,270
dissolution of marriage, legal separation, and annulment cases, 1,271
cases arising under Chapter 3111. of the Revised Code, and 1,272
proceedings involving child support, the allocation of parental 1,273
rights and responsibilities for the care of children and the 1,274
designation for the children of a place of residence and legal 1,275
custodian, and visitation, and providing any counseling and 1,276
conciliation services that the division makes available to 1,277
persons, whether or not the persons are parties to an action 1,278
pending in the division, who request the services. 1,279
(U) In Medina county, the judge of the court of common 1,281
pleas whose term begins January 1, 1995, and successors, shall 1,282
have the same qualifications, exercise the same powers and 1,283
jurisdiction, and receive the same compensation as other judges 1,284
33
of the court of common pleas of Medina county and shall be 1,285
elected and designated as judge of the court of common pleas, 1,286
division of domestic relations. The judge shall be assigned all 1,288
divorce, dissolution of marriage, legal separation, and annulment 1,290
cases, all cases arising under Chapter 3111. of the Revised Code, 1,291
all proceedings involving child support, the allocation of 1,292
parental rights and responsibilities for the care of children and 1,293
the designation for the children of a place of residence and 1,294
legal custodian, and visitation, and all post-decree proceedings 1,295
and matters arising from those cases and proceedings, except in 1,296
cases that for some special reason are assigned to another judge 1,297
of the court of common pleas. The judge shall be charged with 1,298
the assignment and division of the work of the division and with 1,299
the employment and supervision of the personnel of the division. 1,300
The judge shall designate the title, compensation, expense 1,302
allowances, hours, leaves of absence, and vacations of the 1,303
personnel of the division and shall fix the duties of the 1,304
personnel of the division. The duties of the personnel, in 1,305
addition to other statutory duties, include the handling, 1,306
servicing, and investigation of divorce, dissolution of marriage, 1,307
legal separation, and annulment cases, cases arising under 1,308
Chapter 3111. of the Revised Code, and proceedings involving 1,309
child support, the allocation of parental rights and 1,310
responsibilities for the care of children and the designation for 1,311
the children of a place of residence and legal custodian, and 1,312
visitation, and providing counseling and conciliation services 1,313
that the division makes available to persons, whether or not the 1,314
persons are parties to an action pending in the division, who 1,315
request the services. 1,316
(V) In Fairfield county, the judge of the court of common 1,318
pleas whose term begins January 2, 1995, and successors, shall 1,319
have the same qualifications, exercise the same powers and 1,320
jurisdiction, and receive the same compensation as the other 1,321
judges of the court of common pleas of Fairfield county and shall 1,322
34
be elected and designated as judge of the court of common pleas, 1,323
division of domestic relations. The judge shall be assigned all 1,325
divorce, dissolution of marriage, legal separation, and annulment 1,327
cases, all cases arising under Chapter 3111. of the Revised Code, 1,328
all proceedings involving child support, the allocation of 1,329
parental rights and responsibilities for the care of children and 1,330
the designation for the children of a place of residence and 1,331
legal custodian, and visitation, and all post-decree proceedings 1,332
and matters arising from those cases and proceedings, except in 1,333
cases that for some special reason are assigned to another judge 1,334
of the court of common pleas. The judge also has concurrent 1,335
jurisdiction with the probate-juvenile division of the court of
common pleas of Fairfield county with respect to and may hear 1,336
cases to determine the custody of a child, as defined in section 1,337
2151.011 of the Revised Code, who is not the ward of another 1,338
court of this state, cases that are commenced by a parent, 1,339
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 1,340
child to pay child support for that child when the request for 1,341
that order is not ancillary to an action for divorce, dissolution 1,342
of marriage, annulment, or legal separation, a criminal or civil 1,343
action involving an allegation of domestic violence, an action 1,344
for support under Chapter 3115. of the Revised Code, or an action
that is within the exclusive original jurisdiction of the 1,345
probate-juvenile division of the court of common pleas of 1,346
Fairfield county and that involves an allegation that the child 1,347
is an abused, neglected, or dependent child, and post-decree 1,348
proceedings and matters arising from those types of cases.
The judge of the domestic relations division shall be 1,350
charged with the assignment and division of the work of the 1,353
division and with the employment and supervision of the personnel 1,354
of the division.
The judge shall designate the title, compensation, expense 1,356
allowances, hours, leaves of absence, and vacations of the 1,357
35
personnel of the division and shall fix the duties of the 1,358
personnel of the division. The duties of the personnel of the 1,359
division, in addition to other statutory duties, shall include 1,360
the handling, servicing, and investigation of divorce, 1,361
dissolution of marriage, legal separation, and annulment cases, 1,362
cases arising under Chapter 3111. of the Revised Code, and 1,363
proceedings involving child support, the allocation of parental 1,364
rights and responsibilities for the care of children and the 1,365
designation for the children of a place of residence and legal 1,366
custodian, and visitation, and providing any counseling and 1,367
conciliation services that the division makes available to 1,368
persons, regardless of whether the persons are parties to an 1,369
action pending in the division, who request the services. When 1,371
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 1,372
ward of another court of this state or a case that is commenced 1,373
by a parent, guardian, or custodian of a child, as defined in 1,374
section 2151.011 of the Revised Code, to obtain an order 1,375
requiring a parent of the child to pay child support for that
child when the request for that order is not ancillary to an 1,376
action for divorce, dissolution of marriage, annulment, or legal 1,377
separation, a criminal or civil action involving an allegation of 1,378
domestic violence, an action for support under Chapter 3115. of 1,379
the Revised Code, or an action that is within the exclusive 1,380
original jurisdiction of the probate-juvenile division of the
court of common pleas of Fairfiled FAIRFIELD county and that 1,381
involves an allegation that the child is an abused, neglected, or 1,383
dependent child, the duties of the personnel of the domestic 1,384
relations division also include the handling, servicing, and
investigation of those types of cases. 1,385
(W)(1) In Clark county, the judge of the court of common 1,387
pleas whose term begins on January 2, 1995, and successors, shall 1,388
have the same qualifications, exercise the same powers and 1,389
jurisdiction, and receive the same compensation as other judges 1,390
36
of the court of common pleas of Clark county and shall be elected 1,391
and designated as judge of the court of common pleas, domestic 1,392
relations division. The judge shall have all the powers relating 1,394
to juvenile courts, and all cases under Chapter 2151. of the 1,395
Revised Code and all parentage proceedings under Chapter 3111. of 1,396
the Revised Code over which the juvenile court has jurisdiction 1,397
shall be assigned to the judge of the division of domestic 1,398
relations. All divorce, dissolution of marriage, legal 1,399
separation, annulment, uniform reciprocal support enforcement, 1,400
and other cases related to domestic relations shall be assigned 1,401
to the domestic relations division, and the presiding judge of 1,402
the court of common pleas shall assign the cases to the judge of 1,403
the domestic relations division and the judges of the general 1,404
division. 1,405
(2) In addition to the judge's regular duties, the judge 1,407
of the division of domestic relations shall serve on the children 1,409
services board and the county advisory board. 1,410
(3) If the judge of the court of common pleas of Clark 1,412
county, division of domestic relations, is sick, absent, or 1,413
unable to perform that the judge's judicial duties or if the 1,414
presiding judge of the court of common pleas of Clark county 1,417
determines that the volume of cases pending in the division of 1,418
domestic relations necessitates it, the duties of the judge of 1,419
the division of domestic relations shall be performed by the 1,420
judges of the general division or probate division of the court 1,421
of common pleas of Clark county, as assigned for that purpose by 1,422
the presiding judge of that court, and the judges so assigned 1,423
shall act in conjunction with the judge of the division of 1,424
domestic relations of that court. 1,425
(X) In Scioto county, the judge of the court of common 1,427
pleas whose term begins January 2, 1995, and successors, shall 1,429
have the same qualifications, exercise the same powers and 1,430
jurisdiction, and receive the same compensation as other judges 1,431
of the court of common pleas of Scioto county and shall be 1,432
37
elected and designated as judge of the court of common pleas, 1,433
division of domestic relations. The judge shall be assigned all 1,435
divorce, dissolution of marriage, legal separation, and annulment 1,437
cases, all cases arising under Chapter 3111. of the Revised Code, 1,438
all proceedings involving child support, the allocation of 1,439
parental rights and responsibilities for the care of children and 1,440
the designation for the children of a place of residence and 1,441
legal custodian, visitation, and all post-decree proceedings and 1,442
matters arising from those cases and proceedings, except in cases 1,443
that for some special reason are assigned to another judge of the 1,444
court of common pleas. The judge shall be charged with the 1,445
assignment and division of the work of the division and with the 1,446
employment and supervision of the personnel of the division. 1,447
The judge shall designate the title, compensation, expense 1,449
allowances, hours, leaves of absence, and vacations of the 1,450
personnel of the division and shall fix the duties of the 1,451
personnel of the division. The duties of the personnel, in 1,452
addition to other statutory duties, include the handling, 1,453
servicing, and investigation of divorce, dissolution of marriage, 1,454
legal separation, and annulment cases, cases arising under 1,455
Chapter 3111. of the Revised Code, and proceedings involving 1,456
child support, the allocation of parental rights and 1,457
responsibilities for the care of children and the designation for 1,458
the children of a place of residence and legal custodian, and 1,459
visitation, and providing counseling and conciliation services 1,460
that the division makes available to persons, whether or not the 1,461
persons are parties to an action pending in the division, who 1,462
request the services. 1,463
(Y) In Auglaize county, the judge of the probate and 1,465
juvenile divisions of the Auglaize county court of common pleas 1,466
also shall be the administrative judge of the domestic relations 1,467
division of the court and shall be assigned all divorce, 1,469
dissolution of marriage, legal separation, and annulment cases 1,470
coming before the court. The judge shall have all powers as 1,471
38
administrator of the domestic relations division and shall have 1,472
charge of the personnel engaged in handling, servicing, or 1,473
investigating divorce, dissolution of marriage, legal separation, 1,474
and annulment cases, including any referees considered necessary 1,475
for the discharge of the judge's various duties. 1,476
(Z) If a judge of the court of common pleas, division of 1,478
domestic relations, or juvenile judge, of any of the counties 1,479
mentioned in this section is sick, absent, or unable to perform 1,480
that the judge's judicial duties or the volume of cases pending 1,481
in the judge's division necessitates it, the duties of that judge 1,484
shall be performed by another judge of the court of common pleas 1,485
of that county, assigned for that purpose by the presiding judge 1,486
of the court of common pleas of that county to act in place of or 1,487
in conjunction with that judge, as the case may require. 1,488
Section 2. That existing sections 2301.02 and 2301.03 of 1,490
the Revised Code are hereby repealed. 1,491
Section 3. Section 2301.03 of the Revised Code is 1,493
presented in this act as a composite of the section as amended by 1,494
both Sub. H.B. 377 and Am. Sub. S.B. 269 of the 121st General 1,495
Assembly, with the new language of neither of the acts shown in 1,497
capital letters. This is in recognition of the principle stated 1,498
in division (B) of section 1.52 of the Revised Code that such 1,499
amendments are to be harmonized where not substantively 1,500
irreconcilable and constitutes a legislative finding that such is 1,501
the resulting version in effect prior to the effective date of 1,502
this act.