Ohio Mayor's Courts

Ohio Mayor's Courts are state courts in Ohio created by some municipalities. The Mayor's Courts hear traffic cases, violations of city ordinances and other misdemeanors. The presiding officer is a magistrate (not a judge) appointed by the mayor, or even being the mayor, and paid by the city or village.

Not to be confused with Ohio Municipal Courts.

Mayor's Courts are not considered trial courts or courts of record and are not subject to the supervision of the Ohio Supreme Court. Mayor's Courts are not authorized to conduct jury trials. If a defendant is entitled to and desires a jury trial then the case is transferred to the jurisdiction's trial court of limited jurisdiction (Municipal Court or County Court).

There has been criticism of the courts.[1] The majority of revenue generated from fines and court costs go the city or village, in contrast to fines and court costs levied by the municipal court or county court. The late Chief Justice of the Ohio Supreme Court Thomas J. Moyer pointed out that the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit ruled that there is an unconstitutional conflict of interest for a mayor to levy a fine paid into a budget that the mayor himself controls.[2]

List of Mayor's Courts

The following 260 Ohio jurisdictions have Mayor's Courts:

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References
  1. "Ohio's mayor's courts, big business". The Columbus Dispatch. July 22, 2012.
  2. Small Ohio Towns Use Mayor's Court for Big Revenue
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