OhioJury Nullification
In Ohio a statute has the judge state the law and tell jurors they are the exclusive judge of all questions of fact. A court rule sets a jury of twelve for a felony and eight for a misdemeanor. The same set of rules says the verdict shall be unanimous. The state constitution says the right of trial by jury shall be inviolate.
Overview
Juries in Ohio
Ohio's statute on the judge's charge does two things. The court states all matters of law it thinks necessary, and it must tell the jurors that they are the exclusive judge of all questions of fact. A court rule says the verdict shall be unanimous.
That statute also tells jurors what to leave out when they decide guilt, and it names two exceptions. What they are is in the Ohio chapter of the guide.
Ohio's court rules set a jury of twelve for a felony and eight for a misdemeanor, and twelve when the two are tried together. The state constitution says the right of trial by jury shall be inviolate, and its three fourths verdict is for civil cases. What else it says is in the chapter.
The Ohio chapter
What's in the Guide for Ohio?
Jury selection
Ohio law lists fifteen grounds for removing a possible juror for cause. The chapter goes through the three that turn on a person's opinions and willingness to follow the judge, and how many jurors each side can remove without giving a reason.
What the judge tells you
Ohio's jury instructions are written by the Ohio Judicial Conference and the current edition is a paid resource. The chapter works from an archived 2020 release and says so, and it notes that the instructions are model instructions and not binding.
How the verdict works
What a unanimous verdict asks of twelve Ohio jurors or of eight, who signs the verdict, and which cases come with a right to a jury at all.
Protections and risks
What an Ohio judge has to warn jurors about each time they separate, and what the state's intimidation law covers.
The law in plain English
The Ohio laws behind the chapter in everyday words. They include the statutes on the judge's charge, on the right to a jury, on challenges for cause and other challenges, on warning jurors who separate, on signed verdicts and on intimidation, with the court rules on jury size and unanimity and two sections of the state constitution.
Official state resources
Links to Ohio's official sources, each one checked. They cover the Revised Code and constitution, the Supreme Court's criminal rules, the jury instructions, and the Ohio Judicial Conference's jury service materials.
Your summons
Called for Jury Duty in Ohio?
An Ohio jury summons asks you to come to court and, if you are picked, to be the judge of the facts in a case. The judge states the law.
The Ohio Judicial Conference publishes jury service materials for people who have been called. They explain what to expect in court.
Those cover the day itself. The grounds for removing a juror, what the judge has to tell you about the law and the facts, and what you may not do when the jury separates are covered in the Ohio chapter of the guide.
Your Ohio summons
- Sent byThe county commissioners of jurors
- Names come fromThe county's voters and, in most counties, licensed drivers
- It asks you toCome to court and, if you are picked, be the judge of the facts in a case
- Jury size12 (felony), 8 (misdemeanor); 12 where a felony and a misdemeanor are tried together