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For Immediate Release
November 4, 2002

Moyer launches court committee on children, families, and the courts

Chief Justice Thomas Moyer today announced the formation of the Supreme Court Advisory Committee on Children, Families, and the Courts.

The 20-member committee, made up of judges, magistrates, and various professionals who specialize in child and family issues, will make recommendations on court reform matters related to family law. Judge David Basinski of the Lorain County Domestic Relations/Juvenile Court and Helen Jones Kelley of Montgomery County Children Services will co-chair the committee.

Family laws issues are critical not only in juvenile court, but also in domestic relations court, in probate court and in other courts to a limited degree.

Moyer noted that advisory committees help the court system adopt and reform to meet the needs of the future.

"The committee will make recommendations on how best to implement various family-law initiatives. Their input will help us determine how the Ohio court system can best serve children and their families," Moyer said.

The committee, which meets for the first time this Wednesday, will review family law topics including:

• The Juvenile Data Network - an electronic database accessible to juvenile court judges in all of Ohio's 88 counties that will contain vital information about children in the court system.
  
  
• The Family Code - A set of family-related statutes, obtained from the Ohio Revised Code and tailored to be more accessible to the public.
  
  
• Statewide standards for those who act as advocates for children within the court system.

For more information call Doug Stephens at 614.752.8967 or Jay Wuebbold at 614.466.0674.

Supreme Court Advisory Committee on Children, Families, and the Courts

Judge David Basinski, Co-Chair Lorain County Domestic Relations/Juvenile Court	Kathleen Clark, Ph.D. Galion City Schools
Judge Denise Cross Montgomery County Domestic Relations Court	Judge Brad Culbert Sandusky County Probate/Juvenile Court
Rick DeHeer, Ct. Administrator Stark County Family Court	Judge Carol Dezso Summit County Domestic Relations Court
State Sen. Jim Jordan Urbana Republican	Helen Jones-Kelley, Co-Chair Montgomery County Children Svcs.
Sue Ellen Kohler, Clerk Auglaize County Common Pleas Court	Judge Thomas Lipps Hamilton County Juvenile Court
Kathy Lopez, Clerk Clark County Juvenile Court	Linda Lovelace, Ct. Administrator Butler County Domestic Relations Court
Diane Palos, Magistrate Cuyahoga County Domestic Relations Court	Mark Rhoades, Director of Diversion Athens County Probate/Juvenile Court
Barbara Riley, Deputy Director Ohio Department of Job & Family Services	Alexandria Ruden Legal Aid Society, Cleveland
Judge Russell Steiner Licking County Domestic Relations Court	Judge Thomas Swift Trumbull County Probate Court
Sarah Vollmer Ohio Department of Youth Services	Robert Wistner, Designee Ohio State Bar Association, Columbus