Pursuant to the authority granted by Chapter 1901 of the Ohio Revised Code, the judges of this bench shall, by their majority vote, as required from time to time adopt, publish, revise and enforce rules for regulation of the business and administration of, as well as the practices and procedures of this court and the office of its clerk.

1. Oversee all fiscal matters of the court including, but not limited to, the purchase of goods and services, the approval of travel, educational and other expenses, the preparation and presentation of the court’s annual budget, and the review of the court’s personnel needs. The administrative judge shall also be responsible for surveying all recent improvements in judicial administration and, where appropriate, shall undertake such improvements as he or she may deem of value to this court.
   Additionally, the administrative judge shall assign the various associate judges to membership on any ad hoc or special committee which may become necessary along with the following standing committees of the court:
   1. Financial overview
   2. Personnel
   3. Local Rules and Civil
   4. Criminal
   5. Community Outreach
   6. Governance
2. The enforcement of all administrative orders of the court, as well as the enforcement of compliance with these rules, shall be the responsibility of the administrative judge. Subject to the approval of a majority of the court, he or she shall have the authority to issue or modify any procedural order of court to obtain conformity with such orders and/or rules. Any other action taken by the administrative judge may be disapproved and rescinded by a majority of the members of this court.
3. During any such time as the administrative judge shall be unavailable or absent, he or she shall designate one of the associate judges to act in his or her capacity.
4. All official contact with the public and the media concerning issues involving the business and/or personnel of the Court shall be the exclusive responsibility of the administrative judge or his or her designee(s).
5. Pursuant to the authority granted under the Rules of Superintendence for the Courts of Ohio, the administrative judge is relieved of such part of his or her trial duties as is necessary to allow him or her to properly oversee the expedient management of the court’s calendar and docket.

In addition to the powers and duties set forth in the Revised Code that do not conflict with the powers and duties of the administrative judge as set forth above and in Sup.R. 4.01, the presiding judge shall do all of the following:
1. Call and conduct an annual meeting, and other meetings as necessary, of the judges of the court for the purpose of discussing and resolving administrative problems common to all divisions of the court;
2. Assign judges of the court on a temporary basis to serve in another division of the court as required by the business of the court.

The administrative judge of the Housing Division of this court, shall have sole control over all of the functions of that division. Decisions with regard to the operation of that division shall not be subject to review or ratification by the judges of the General Division, nor shall the Housing Division judge participate in any of the decisions which affect the operation of the General Division, with the exception of the selection of the court’s presiding judge.

Pursuant to Rule 4(A)(1) of the Rules of Superintendence for the Courts of Ohio , the court shall annually elect one of its members as administrative judge.  Said election shall be held on the second Thursday in December of each year.

Likewise, pursuant to Rule 3 of the Rules of Superintendence for the Courts of Ohio, the court shall annually elect one of its members as presiding judge.  Said election shall be held on the second Thursday in December of each year.

Any judge of the General Division of the court may become a candidate for either the presiding or administrative judgeship by declaring his or her candidacy at the meeting where the election shall be had and by making a brief statement in support of said candidacy.

All judges of the general division, during his or her term of office, shall be eligible to vote in the elections for the leadership positions of the General Division. The administrative judge of the Housing Division shall be eligible to vote in the election for the presiding judge only. Votes may be cast either in person or by written proxy exercised on behalf of an absent judge by another member of the court.

The administrative judge may act on any individually assigned case in the absence of the judge so assigned.

Should an associate judge disqualify himself or herself from hearing any individually assigned case, said judge shall cause a journal entry to be made setting forth the disqualification and the reasons therefore.  The case shall thereafter be referred to the administrative judge who shall, by judgment entry, authorize the Central Scheduling Department to place the case back in the lottery for a new judge assignment.

1. Multiple criminal and/or traffic charges filed against one defendant or arising out of the same act or transaction shall be assigned to the same judge for disposition upon not guilty pleas.  Multiple defendants charged with criminal and/or traffic offenses, arising out of the same acts or transactions, shall be assigned to the same judge for the disposition of such charges, upon the entry of not guilty pleas, consistent with the provisions of Crim. R. 8(B) and Sup. R. 43(B).
2. Motions for consolidation or separation of civil cases shall likewise be addressed to the administrative judge.
3. The Clerk of Court shall be provided with a sufficient number of copies of any motion filed in accordance with this rule to include a copy in each file affected by the motion.  Failure to comply with this provision will result in such partial filing being stricken.
4. If joinder or consolidation is permitted, all cases so joined will be assigned to the judge holding the case bearing the lowest number.  If separation is permitted, the originally assigned judge shall retain the case bearing the lowest number.  If either a motion to join or separate is permitted before an individual judge has been assigned, case assignment will proceed according to the instructions of the administrative judge.  The remaining cases shall be returned to the Central Scheduling Department for reassignment pursuant to Local Rule 2.01.
5. The Clerk shall query pending dockets daily to determine if defendant’s appearing before the court have other outstanding cases that have not been heard.  Defendants arraigned on new cases, who have pending criminal or traffic matters before the court, shall have their new cases joined for disposition before the judge presiding in the pending case first assigned, including:  
   
   
   1. Where the defendant appears for arraignment on new traffic or misdemeanor violations and has previously failed to appear to answer other currently outstanding pending charges on the personal docket of a judge.
   2. Where a defendant appears for arraignment on a new traffic or misdemeanor violation and is the subject of an outstanding warrant for probation.
   3. Where a defendant pleading not guilty to misdemeanor charges, who at the time is already on probation to a judge of this court, shall be assigned to that judge.
   4. Where a defendant pleading not guilty to misdemeanor charges, who at the time is on probation to different judges of this court, shall be assigned to the personal docket judge to whom the oldest “pending” cases is assigned.

SINGLE JUDGE ASSIGNMENT GUIDELINES

If a dispute arises as to ownership of cases, the Administrative Judge will make the necessary determination.

F.    A defendant who is in custody (arrestee) and who has an outstanding warrant and who has already been assigned a judge, shall be processed in one of the following manners:

1. When a defendant who is in custody or who has an outstanding warrant has already been assigned a judge on pending case(s), including probation violation(s), the defendant shall be scheduled for his/her court appearance on the assigned judge’s next available docket date. The arrestee shall not be processed with the misdemeanor arrestees who must be arraigned.
2. When an arrestee or a defendant who has an outstanding warrand has already been assigned a judge and new charges have been brought, then the clerk shall utilize the bond schedule for the new charges. The following process shall be applied in determining where the defendant shall be arraigned on the new charges:
   
   
   1. If the new charges are non-violent offenses, then the defendant shall be arraigned  before the judge already assigned to his/her other charges. The arraignment shall be scheduled before the assigned judge on that judge’s next available docket date.
   2. If the defendant has new charges which are not subject to the bond schedule which requires the defendant to appear before a judge, then the defendant shall be arraigned through the regular arraignment process.