In November, Marianna moderated a panel sponsored by UC Law’s Black Law Students Association (BLSA) called Judicial Panel: The Road to the Bench.  The featured panelists were  were:

• Judge Nadine Allen, Hamilton County Court of Common Pleas
• Judge Patricia Blackmon, Eight District Court of Appeals
• Judge Michelle Early, Cuyahoga County Municipal Court
• Judge Jeffrey Hopkins, U.S. Bankruptcy Court
• Judge Fanon Rucker, Hamilton County Municipal Court
• Judge Shirley Saffold, Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas

Marianna gave a CLE presentation to the Criminal Defense Bar about the most important recent criminal law decisions issued by the Supreme Court of Ohio.

And last but not least, Marianna’s November posts on her blog Legally Speaking Ohio discussed the following cases:

• State v. Keck, Slip Opinion No. 2013-Ohio-5160  Analysis of merit decision holding that the defendant’s rights under the Confrontation Clause were not violated by the testimony of an expert witness who relied on a report authored by a different, non-testifying analyst when the defendant stipulated to the admissibility and content of the original report.
• Theresa Hayward v. Summa Health System/Akron City Hospital, et. al. Oral argument preview and analysis of oral argument –issue is whether the appellate court’s finding of reversible error with respect to a remote cause jury instruction after a jury finding of no negligence redefines “prejudicial error” in a civil case
• Cromer v. Children’s Hospital Medical Center of Akron,. Oral argument preview and analysis of oral argument–issue is a challenge to a general negligence foreseeability instruction given in a medical malpractice case.
• Freshwater v. Mt. Vernon City School Dist. Bd. of Edn., Slip Opinion No. 2013-Ohio-5000 Analysis of merit decision upholding termination of public school eighth grade science teacher for insubordination  in refusing to remove religious displays from his classroom after being repeatedly told to do so, and for continuing to inject his personal religious beliefs in his teaching , even after being forbidden to do so.
• City of Cleveland v. Erin McCardle and Leatrice Tolls,Oral argument preview and analysis of argument . Issue is a constitutional challenge to a Cleveland City ordinance establishing a 10pm curfew in Cleveland’s Public Square
• Peggy Spaeth, et. al. v. State Automobile Mutual Insurance Company, Oral argument preview and analysis of argument–issue is how to determine domicile in a case arising out of an insurance coverage dispute.
• Boice v. Ottawa Hills, Slip Opinion No. 2013-Ohio-4769,  Analysis of merit decision granting a variance to a property owner for a non-conforming lot.
• Transtar Electric, Inc. v. A.E.M. Electric Services Corp., Oral argument preview analysis of argument.  Issue is the language necessary to transfer the risk of nonpayment by the owner on a construction project from the general contractor to a subcontractor.
• State v. Clark, Slip Opinion No. 2013-Ohio-4731, Analysis of merit decision holding that a child’s statement to his teachers about physical abuse constitutes testimonial evidence barred by the Confrontation Clause when the child has been found incompetent to testify. Companion post analyzing key Confrontation Clause cases.
• State v. Jeffrey McGlothan,  2012-1782.  Analysis of oral argument-  issue is what evidence is necessary to prove cohabitation in domestic violence prosecutions.