In one of two decisions released by the Ohio Supreme Court last week regarding juvenile criminal proceedings, the divided court held that the mandatory transfer to adult court of juveniles aged 16 and older is unconstitutional. The 4-3 majority, in an opinion authored by Justice Judith Lanzinger, held “that the mandatory transfer of juveniles without [...]
A divided Ohio Supreme Court recently ruled 4-3 that a juvenile adjudication cannot be used to enhance a penalty for an adult conviction. The majority’s opinion, written by Justice Judith Lanzinger, held that Adrian Hand Jr.’s prior juvenile adjudication for aggravated robbery was improperly used as a first-degree felony conviction to enhance his sentence for [...]
COLUMBUS — Judith Ann Lanzinger had always considered herself a literal person, a judge who prefers words on paper to be clear — especially in legal briefs and statutes. But now the Ohio Supreme Court justice embraces some ambiguous words, teaching poetry to fellow judges, helping them, like herself, to use art and literature to [...]