Justia Criminal Law Opinion Summaries

The Supreme Court affirmed the judgment of the court of appeals granting a writ of habeas corpus ordering the reduction of Petitioner's bail from $1,500,000 to $500,000, holding that the court of appeals did not err.Petitioner was indicted on two counts of murder, one count of aggravated robbery, and one count of aggravated burglary. The district court set bail of $750,000 on the murder charge and a separate bail of $750,000 on the aggravated robbery charge. Petitioner filed two motions for bail reduction, which the trial court denied. Petitioner then filed a petition for a writ of habeas corpus. The court of appeals granted the writ, concluding that Petitioner's bail amount was excessive and reducing his bail to $500,000. The Supreme Court affirmed, holding that the trial court's financial condition of bail was excessive and that the record supported the court of appeals' decision to reduce Petitioner's bail. View "DuBose v. McGuffey" on Justia Law

The Supreme Court reversed the judgment of the court of appeals denying Appellant's motion for an award of statutory damages under the Ohio Public Records Act, Ohio Rev. Code 149.43, holding that Appellant was entitled to statutory damages.Appellant, an inmate, sent a request to the Cleveland Police Forensic Laboratory (CPFL) for three categories of public records. When CPFL did not respond to his request, Appellant filed a mandamus action and sought statutory damages under section 149.43(C)(2). The court of appeals granted a writ of mandamus compelling the production of some of the requested records and denied Appellant's request for statutory damages. The Supreme Court reversed and granted Appellant's application for an award of statutory damages, holding that, given the length of time during which the CPFL failed to respond, Appellant was entitled to the maximum amount permitted under the statute. View "State ex rel. Ellis v. Cleveland Police Forensic Laboratory" on Justia Law

The Supreme Court affirmed the judgment of the court of appeals reversing the judgment of the trial court granting Defendant's motion to suppress in this criminal case, holding that the absence of a signature on an arrest warrant itself alone does not negate the warrant's validity.The warrant to arrest Defendant in this case was not signed by an authorized court officer. On appeal, Defendant argued that the unsigned arrest warrant did not comply with Crim.R. 4 and was therefore invalid. The Supreme Court held (1) the arrest warrant at issue adequately complied with the requirements of Crim.R. 4 despite the absence of a court official's signature on the warrant; and (2) Defendant's arrest pursuant to the warrant did not violate the Fourth Amendment. View "State v. Harrison" on Justia Law

The Supreme Court reversed the judgment of the court of appeals dismissing Appellant's complaint for writs of mandamus and prohibition against Appellees - Judge Dale A. Crawford and the Hocking County Common Pleas Court - but affirmed the denial of her motion for disqualification of attorney Randall L. Lambert, holding that the court of appeals erred in part.Appellant was found guilty of assaulting a police officer. At a sentencing hearing at which Appellant appeared without counsel, Appellant refused to sign a waiver-of-counsel form. Judge Crawford conducted the sentencing hearing, at the end of which he imposed a six-month sentence in the county jail and ordered Defendant to pay a fine, restitution, and court costs. Appellant filed a complaint for writs of mandamus and prohibition alleging that Judge Crawford lacked jurisdiction to hold the sentencing hearing because she had not waived her right to counsel. The court of appeals dismissed the complaint and denied the motion to disqualify Lambert. The Supreme Court reversed in part, holding that Appellant stated a colorable claim that Judge Crawford violated her Sixth Amendment rights when he ordered her to not communicate with any lawyer and then sentenced her and that this error rendered the sentencing entry void. View "State ex rel. Ogle v. Hocking County Common Pleas Court" on Justia Law

The Supreme Court affirmed the judgment of the court of appeals affirming Defendant's conviction and sentence for one count each of aggravated murder, aggravated burglary, aggravated robbery, and attempted rape, holding that the trial court did not erred in denying Defendant's motion to suppress his socks and underwear, but the error was harmless.After the murder in this case, Defendant was taken to the hospital and examined. Defendant filed a motion to suppress the evidence obtained from his hospital room, including the hospital's washcloth, scrapings taken from his fingernails, and his socks and underwear. The trial court denied the motion to suppress, and the court of appeals affirmed. The Supreme Court affirmed, holding (1) the trial court did not err in denying Defendant's motion to suppress the washcloth and fingernail scrapings; and (2) the trial court erred in denying Defendant's motion to suppress his socks and underwear, but the error was harmless. View "State v. LaRosa" on Justia Law

The Supreme Court affirmed the judgment of the court of appeals granting a writ of prohibition preventing the order of a court of common pleas judge restoring Appellant's firearms rights from being effective, holding that a writ of prohibition was warranted.Appellant was convicted of a crime in Ohio that prohibited him, under federal law, to possess a firearm unless Appellant had his civil rights restored under Ohio law, 18 U.S.C. 921(a)(33)(B)(ii). Appellant filed an application for relief from his federal firearms disability, and Judge Peeler, a Warren County Court of Common Pleas Judge, granted the application. Appellee, Appellant's ex-wife, sought a writ of prohibition seeking to prevent Judge Peeler's order from being effective. The court of appeals granted the writ. The Supreme Court affirmed, holding that Appellee established the necessary elements for a writ of prohibition. View "State ex rel. Suwalksi v. Peeler" on Justia Law

The Supreme Court affirmed the judgment of the court of appeals dismissing Appellant's complaint for a writ of habeas corpus, holding that Appellant failed to show that he was entitled to the writ.In 1993, Appellant pleaded guilty to aggravated murder with a capital specification and was sentenced to life with parole eligibility after thirty years. In 2020, Appellant filed his petition for a writ of habeas corpus, alleging that his sentence was not a permissible sentence under Ohio law. The court of appeals dismissed the complaint, concluding that Appellant's sentence was voidable, not void, and therefore, Appellant did not state a claim for relief in habeas corpus. The Supreme Court affirmed, holding that the court of appeals did not err in dismissing the complaint. View "State ex rel. Slaughter v. Foley" on Justia Law

The Supreme Court held that neither a showing of exigent circumstances nor a showing of the impracticability of obtaining an arrest warrant is necessary to sustain the constitutionality of a warrantless arrest under either the Ohio Constitution or the United States Constitution.Defendant was convicted of multiple drug offenses. On appeal, Defendant challenged the trial court's denial of his motion to suppress, arguing that his arrest was unlawful because there were no exigent circumstances to justify a warrantless arrest. The court of appeals affirmed. The Supreme Court affirmed, holding (1) a warrantless arrest based on probable cause and conducted in public is reasonable under the Fourth Amendment; (2) neither exigent circumstances nor the impracticability of obtaining a warrant is required to justify a warrantless felony arrest that is supported by probable cause and that is conducted in public; and (3) the arrest in this case was constitutionally valid. View "State v. Jordan" on Justia Law

The Supreme Court affirmed the judgment of the court of appeals dismissing Appellant's petition for a writ of habeas corpus and his motions for discovery and for oral argument, holding that there was no error.Appellant, who was serving a fifty-five-year prison sentence, filed a petition for a writ of habeas corpus. The court of appeals dismissed the petition without reaching the merits of Appellant's claims for habeas relief. The Supreme Court affirmed, holding (1) the court of appeals correctly dismissed Appellant's habeas petition; and (2) because Appellant's affidavit of indigency was deficient under Ohio Rev. Code 2969.25(C) the court of appeals did not err in dismissing the petition. View "Robinson v. State" on Justia Law

The Supreme Court affirmed Appellant's petition for a writ of habeas corpus against Appellee, the warden of the correctional institution at which Appellant was an inmate, holding that there was no error.In his habeas petition, Appellant argued that he was entitled to the writ because he was no properly bound over from juvenile court to adult court for prosecution for offenses that he committed while he was a juvenile. The court of appeals granted summary judgment in favor of Appellee on Appellant's petition. The Supreme Court affirmed, holding that Appellant failed to show that there was a genuine issue of material fact on his claim for habeas corpus relief. View "Humphrey v. Bracy" on Justia Law