The Supreme Court of Ohio  ruled that petitioners for a civil stalking protection order are not required to prove they have already experienced mental distress . In a 5-2 decision , the Court held that  R.C. 2903.211  is satisfied  if a petitioner reasonably believes an offender will cause mental distress if encounters continue . The majority opinion  resolved conflicting lower court interpretations by applying a grammatical analysis to the state's "menacing-by-stalking" statute .  This decision affirmed a Fifth District Court of Appeals ruling ,  which granted a protection order to a man following hostile confrontations with his ex-wife’s partner.

In November 2025, Google introduced Scholar Labs , an experimental search tool that utilizes generative AI to analyze and answer complex research queries. Unlike the traditional Google Scholar platform, which relies heavily on citation counts and keyword matching, Scholar Labs focuses on semantic relevance by breaking queries into key topics and relationships across full-paper content. The interface provides AI-generated descriptions and bullet points for each result, explaining exactly how a specific article addresses the user’s question. For additional details and a comparison of the two platforms, please visit the RIPS Law Librarian Blog .

Judge Michelle Sheehan has been unanimously elected by her colleagues to serve as the administrative judge for Ohio’s 8th District Court of Appeals starting in January. In this leadership role, she will oversee operations for one of the state's busiest appellate courts, succeeding Judge Eileen A. Gallagher. Sheehan, who joined the bench in 2019, brings over 25 years of litigation experience and a strong background in legal mentorship and civic leadership to the position. Read more about this appointment at Cleveland.com .

The U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) criticized the American Bar Association's (ABA) law school accreditation as a "monopoly" that inflates the cost of a law degree and restricts the supply of new lawyers. The FTC endorsed a plan by the Texas Supreme Court to end the state's reliance on the ABA for oversight, viewing it as a vital step against the ABA's costly and restrictive requirements. The agency noted that other states like Florida and Ohio are also reviewing their requirements, while the ABA is already undertaking a sweeping review of its own accreditation standards.

On the most recent episode of Law Library Insights, we take a deep dive into the youth homelessness crisis in Ohio. We discuss the heartbreaking statistics and actions you can take to help those in need. Listen today !