The Supreme Court Ohio Annual Report

Dear Citizens of <strong>Ohio</strong>: March 2010 Alexander Hamilton once wrote that “the first duty of society is justice.” This obligation is shared by all <strong>Ohio</strong> judicial system employees because the system cannot thrive without the public’s trust and confidence in its integrity, fairness and impartiality. It is for that reason that my fellow Justices and I remain diligent in our efforts to ensure the <strong>Ohio</strong> judicial system is both accessible and accountable to the public it serves. In 2009, we focused efforts on amendments to the rules governing <strong>Ohio</strong> courts, the administration of justice and the professionalism of those who serve in our judicial system. In January 2009, we adopted a rule standardizing the appointment, responsibilities, training and reporting requirements of guardians ad litem, ensuring that those who protect the interests of the most vulnerable among us do so in a way that rises to the level of excellence. To safeguard access to justice by all citizens, we adopted rule amendments providing for the screening, testing and certification of bilingual court interpreters. <strong>The</strong> certification requires that interpreters working in <strong>Ohio</strong> courts meet minimum standards of fluency and comply with a code of professional conduct. We also clarified how lawyers in <strong>Ohio</strong> can communicate their fields of practice to the public, restricting the use of the word “specialist” to those who have been certified as such in specific fields by an approved organization. We narrowed, too, the privileges for out-of-state attorneys who want to appear temporarily in a proceeding before an <strong>Ohio</strong> court. In 2009, the <strong>Supreme</strong> <strong>Court</strong> of <strong>Ohio</strong> also: • Released a guide providing the public with practical information for engaging in and managing an attorney-client relationship • Mandated additional continuing education requirements for judges related to access to justice • Launched a refreshed Web site with increased ADA compliance, more functional architecture, faster load times and expanded content. It is true, as former U.S. Chief Justice Warren E. Burger once wrote, that judges rule on the basis of law, not public opinion. But courts must be responsive to the needs of the public, and we must strive always to improve the administration of justice and support public confidence in the courts as a cornerstone of our democracy. <strong>The</strong> 2009 <strong>Annual</strong> <strong>Report</strong> details our successes and efforts this past year in meeting this obligation. Thomas J. Moyer Chief Justice