Lucas County Common Pleas Court, General Trial Division
| Lucas County Common Pleas Court, General Trial Division |
The Lucas County Court of Common Pleas is the trial court of general
jurisdiction, meaning it hears felony cases as well as civil disputes where the
amount in controversy exceeds $500 and has exclusive jurisdiction over civil
cases exceeding $10,000.Ten judges currently serve in the general division and
as a part of their judicial office conduct pretrials, schedule deadlines, rule
on motions, and hear both jury and bench trials. In jury trials, jurors decide
the facts after the judge instructs them on the applicable law. In bench trials,
the judge determines both the facts and law to be applied. For each judge, two
bailiffs handle administrative matters, a staff attorney assists with legal
research and a court reporter takes a verbatim record of all official matters
heard by the judge.
The Court Administrator, under the direction of the judges, is responsible for
overseeing the non-judicial functions of the court, including the Administrative
Office, Jury Commission, Court Deputies Department, Human Resources Department, Adult Probation Department, Pretrial-Presentence Department, and Work Release Department.
There are various specialized units within each operation. The table of
organization for courts follows:
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