Ex Parte Communications (Letter and other communications with the Judge)

An Ex Parte Communication is some form of communication including, but not limited to, verbal, written, or electronic, with a Judge assigned to an active case about some aspect of the case. "ex parte" is a Latin phrase that means "of or from a side or party." To ensure fairness and equal treatment, Judges are not allowed by the Rules of Ethics to receive Ex parte Communication from anyone regarding a pending case assigned to the Judge.

Judges are not permitted to receive evidence outside the Courtroom. All evidence must be presented in the Courtroom, with both sides having an opportunity to be present. This ensures that the Judge does not hear evidence selected by one side without the other side having a chance to dispute or explain the evidence.

If you are a victim or a witness in a case and have relevant information that you feel needs to be presented to the Court, then you need to contact the Prosecutor's office handling the case on behalf of the State of Ohio.

Suppose you are an interested citizen who feels you have relevant information that the Judge should know about the case, the defendant, or a witness. In that case, you should contact the Prosecutor's office handling the case for the State of Ohio. If the information is favorable to the defendant's case, then you should contact the defendant's attorney with the information.

Any communication received by the Court that is not signed or contains a return address will be protected.

The Judge's job is to be impartial and make decisions based on the facts presented under the Rules of Evidence.