Ohio’s courts, like many across the land, allowed news reporters to see paper filings when they crossed the clerk’s counter. Then when the electronic revolution finally came to those state courts, like many across the land, they took traditional press access away.
One of the clearest examples of the effects of that take-away can be seen in Columbus where the new state court cases languish in a docketing queue for days before becoming public. A local court rule declares all of them confidential — in effect a blanket sealing order — until whenever the clerk gets around to docketing them.
Challenging the take-away, Courthouse News on Monday filed a First Amendment action against Franklin County Court of Common Pleas in Columbus.
