Section 2701.03. Disqualification of common pleas judge - affidavit

(A) If a judge of the court of common pleas allegedly is interested in a proceeding pending before the court, allegedly is related to or has a bias or prejudice for or against a party to a proceeding pending before the court or a party's counsel, or allegedly otherwise is disqualified to preside in a proceeding pending before the court, any party to the proceeding or the party's counsel may file an affidavit of disqualification with the clerk of the supreme court in accordance with division (B) of this section.

(B) An affidavit of disqualification filed under section 2101.39 , 2501.13, 2701.031, or 2743.041 of the Revised Code or division (A) of this section shall be filed with the clerk of the supreme court not less than seven calendar days before the day on which the next hearing in the proceeding is scheduled and shall include all of the following:

(1) The specific allegations on which the claim of interest, bias, prejudice, or disqualification is based and the facts to support each of those allegations or, in relation to an affidavit filed against a judge of a court of appeals, a specific allegation that the judge presided in the lower court in the same proceeding and the facts to support that allegation;

(2) The jurat of a notary public or another person authorized to administer oaths or affirmations;

(3) A certificate indicating that a copy of the affidavit has been served on the probate judge, judge of a court of appeals, judge of a court of common pleas, judge of a municipal or county court, or judge of the court of claims against whom the affidavit is filed and on all other parties or their counsel;

(4) The date of the next scheduled hearing in the proceeding or, if there is no hearing scheduled, a statement that there is no hearing scheduled.

(C)

(1) Except as provided in division (C)(2) of this section, when an affidavit of disqualification is presented to the clerk of the supreme court for filing under division (B) of this section, all of the following apply:

(a) The clerk of the supreme court shall accept the affidavit for filing and shall forward the affidavit to the chief justice of the supreme court.

(b) The supreme court shall send notice of the filing of the affidavit to the probate court served by the judge if the affidavit is filed against a probate court judge, to the clerk of the court of appeals served by the judge if the affidavit is filed against a judge of a court of appeals, to the clerk of the court of common pleas served by the judge if the affidavit is filed against a judge of a court of common pleas, to the clerk of the municipal or county court served by the judge if the affidavit is filed against a judge of a municipal or county court, or to the clerk of the court of claims if the affidavit is filed against a judge of the court of claims.

(c) Upon receipt of the notice under division (C)(1)(b) of this section, the probate court, the clerk of the court of appeals, the clerk of the court of common pleas, the clerk of the municipal or county court, or the clerk of the court of claims shall enter the fact of the filing of the affidavit on the docket of the probate court, the docket of the court of appeals, the docket in the proceeding in the court of common pleas, the docket of the proceeding in the municipal or county court, or the docket of the proceeding in the court of claims.

(2) The clerk of the supreme court shall not accept an affidavit of disqualification presented for filing under division (B) of this section if it is not timely presented for filing or does not satisfy the requirements of divisions (B)(2), (3), and (4) of this section.

(D)

(1) Except as provided in divisions (D)(2) to (4) of this section, if the clerk of the supreme court accepts an affidavit of disqualification for filing under divisions (B) and (C) of this section, the affidavit deprives the judge against whom the affidavit was filed of any authority to preside in the proceeding until the chief justice of the supreme court, or a justice of the supreme court designated by the chief justice, rules on the affidavit pursuant to division (E) of this section.

(2) A judge against whom an affidavit of disqualification has been filed under divisions (B) and (C) of this section may do any of the following that is applicable:

(a) If, based on the scheduled hearing date, the affidavit was not timely filed, the judge may preside in the proceeding.

(b) If the proceeding is a domestic relations proceeding, the judge may issue any temporary order relating to spousal support pendente lite and the support, maintenance, and allocation of parental rights and responsibilities for the care of children.

(c) If the proceeding pertains to a complaint brought pursuant to Chapter 2151. or 2152. of the Revised Code, the judge may issue any temporary order pertaining to the relation and conduct of any other person toward a child who is the subject of a complaint as the interest and welfare of the child may require.

(3) A judge against whom an affidavit of disqualification has been filed under divisions (B) and (C) of this section may determine a matter that does not affect a substantive right of any of the parties.

(4) If the clerk of the supreme court accepts an affidavit of disqualification for filing under divisions (B) and (C) of this section, if the chief justice of the supreme court, or a justice of the supreme court designated by the chief justice, denies the affidavit of disqualification pursuant to division (E) of this section, and if, after the denial, a second or subsequent affidavit of disqualification regarding the same judge and the same proceeding is filed by the same party who filed or on whose behalf was filed the affidavit that was denied or by counsel for the same party who filed or on whose behalf was filed the affidavit that was denied, the judge against whom the second or subsequent affidavit is filed may preside in the proceeding prior to the ruling of the chief justice of the supreme court, or a justice designated by the chief justice, on the second or subsequent affidavit.

(E) If the clerk of the supreme court accepts an affidavit of disqualification for filing under divisions (B) and (C) of this section and if the chief justice of the supreme court, or any justice of the supreme court designated by the chief justice, determines that the interest, bias, prejudice, or disqualification alleged in the affidavit does not exist, the chief justice or the designated justice shall issue an entry denying the affidavit of disqualification. If the chief justice of the supreme court, or any justice of the supreme court designated by the chief justice, determines that the interest, bias, prejudice, or disqualification alleged in the affidavit exists, the chief justice or the designated justice shall issue an entry that disqualifies that judge from presiding in the proceeding and either order that the proceeding be assigned to another judge of the court of which the disqualified judge is a member pursuant to the court's random assignment process, to a judge of another court, or to a retired judge.

Amended by 130th General Assembly File No. TBD, HB 261, §1, eff. 7/10/2014.

Effective Date: 01-01-2002