Friday, November 21, 2014
YOUNGSTOWN
Except for the geographically remote Sebring Court, Mahoning County’s lower courts should be consolidated into one or two locations, the county bar association says.
The association also says all of the county’s judges should be full-time to improve access to justice and eliminate the appearance of conflict between part- timers’ judicial activities and private law practices.
All of Mahoning County’s lower courts, except the one in Youngstown, have part-time judges.
Full-time judges don’t have private law practices.
The association’s preferred reorganization plan consists of an eastern division located in downtown Youngstown, and a western division located in or near Canfield, the lawyers group announced late Thursday after five years of studying court consolidation here.
The association’s alternative plan would consolidate all lower courts, except that of Sebring, into one downtown Youngstown location.
The consolidation study by the association and the National Center for State Courts came “in response to a widely held perception by both the bar and the public that the existing system is inefficient — held in place more by tradition than by solid public policy,” the association said in a letter to Ohio Chief Justice Maureen O’Connor and members of the Ohio Legislature representing Mahoning County.
Legislative action would be required to reorganize the county’s lower courts.
Under the plan that splits the county into eastern and western divisions, the Youngstown-based eastern division would cover all territory now covered by the Youngstown, Campbell and Struthers municipal courts.
The western division based in or near Canfield would include all territory now covered by county courts in Austintown, Boardman and Canfield.
The association’s rationales for having a centralized downtown Youngstown court are that Youngstown is the county’s seat and largest- city; the county jail and mass transit hub are downtown; and Youngstown Municipal Court has money saved for the new facility it needs.
The rationale for having a centralized Canfield area court is that Canfield would be centrally located for the western division and has good freeway access.
Local legislators and judges who would be affected by the association’s proposal could not be reached to comment.