Ohio chief justice pursues study of judges' workloads

COLUMBUS (AP) — Ohio Supreme Court Chief Justice Maureen O'Connor is pushing for a study of judges' workloads at a time the number of cases on judges' dockets is steadily declining in Ohio and nationally.

Justice O'Connor told a gathering of judges in March the study was a proactive move at a time of a tight state budget, and a chance to explain the changing nature of the judiciary, according to written and recorded minutes of that meeting obtained by The Associated Press through an open records request.

Justice O'Connor, a Republican, said no sitting judges would lose jobs as a result. She will meet with a panel of municipal, common pleas, juvenile court and other judges June 30 for more discussion. A decision is probably weeks away. The court has set aside $250,000 to pay for such a study.

Competition from private companies offering mediation and arbitration services outside the courts is helping drive a 26 percent decline in Ohio judges' caseloads since 2007, O'Connor said. Nationally, dockets shrink about 3.5 percent a year, she added.

Meanwhile, judges are working just as hard because of more and more specialized courts, Justice O'Connor said. In such courts, judges spend extra time helping drug addicts, human trafficking victims, veterans and defendants with mental illness, among others.

"We cannot ignore the changing nature of our business whether it is the result of outside forces or internal demands," she said at the March 10 meeting. "And we cannot act as if these forces are of no importance."

There is "a powerful message to be told," Justice O'Connor said, "that you are working hard because you are required to do more things. You are now required to wear many hats."