The Supreme Court of Ohio - Supreme Court - State of Ohio

Dear Fellow Ohioans:
March 2009
Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. once said, “The great thing
in this world is not so much where we are, but in what direction
we are moving.” 2008 was a year of defining our direction and
setting the course for the Supreme Court of Ohio.
A Message
from the
Administrative
Director
Under Chief Justice Moyer’s leadership and with the
learned counsel of the other associate Justices, the several
judicial associations and the judges throughout the state, we
accomplished much this past year in terms of defining our
priorities and articulating our mission and vision for the future
of the Ohio judicial branch.
Most significantly, in 2008 we completed a comprehensive,
collaborative strategic planning process to clearly define our
goals and articulate a set of specific strategies and tactics for
achieving them.
In addition, we achieved several organizational and
administrative accomplishments that advance the cause of
administering justice with integrity and providing leadership to
the third branch of Ohio government, including:
• The adoption of the first comprehensive revision of
the Code of Judicial Conduct since 1999.
• The adoption of new Rules of Superintendence for
Ohio Courts governing court records that strike a
balance between openness and privacy.
• Budget cuts and reduced spending for fiscal year 2008
totaling more than $3 million.
• The establishment of the Law & Leadership Summer
Institute, a program to interest high school freshmen
from underserved communities in careers in the law.
• The development of new tools and resources for
language interpretation in Ohio courtrooms.
Throughout this report, there are countless more examples
of the successes we achieved this past year as we plot a course
toward a bright future for the third branch in Ohio. As the
Chief Justice writes in his letter introducing this report, it is only
through collaborative effort and common purpose that we can
succeed.
Steven C. Hollon
2008 Annual Report • The Supreme Court of Ohio 25