General Litigation Newsletters

Extrajudicial Speech and Judicial Ethics

There are standards of conduct for judges that assure judicial ethics. The goal of the standards is to assure judges' impartiality and avoid improprieties. There are codes of judicial conduct for both state and federal judges. In general, the code of judicial conduct requires a judge to uphold the integrity and independence of the judiciary, avoid the impropriety or the appearance of impropriety in any activities, and perform his/her duties impartially and diligently. Judges are also required to conduct extrajudicial activities in a way that reduces the risk of conflict with judicial duties.

Federal Court System Overview

The federal court system consists of federal trial courts and two levels of federal appellate courts--courts of appeals and the Supreme Court of the United States.

General Civil Litigation

Criminal litigation involves the government's prosecution of a person because of an alleged commission of a crime. Criminal behavior is punished by imposing a fine and/or imprisonment on the offender. All criminal proceedings are initiated by a government entity. General civil litigation, on the other hand, involves disputes between private parties. A civil lawsuit is initiated by one person against another person, business, or government entity. There can be multiple plaintiffs (person suing) and/or multiple defendan

Relief from a Judgment in a Civil Lawsuit

In Ohio and some other states, a judgment is final 30 days after it is entered in a case. Is it possible to get any relief from the judgment after the 30-day period has expired? This article discusses reasons for setting aside, reopening, correcting, or obtaining judicial relief from a final judgment.

State Court System Overview

Each of the 50 states has its own court system. Each state system has three levels: the lowest level (generally called trial court), an appellate level (generally called a court of appeal), and the highest level (generally called a supreme court).