Ohio High Court Mulls Jury Deference In Post-Trial Case Reviews

Several Ohio justices appeared Wednesday to back clarifying how appeals courts weigh trial testimony in criminal matters, following an overturned jury verdict in a Cleveland-area rape case.

Three members of the Ohio Supreme Court pushed defendant Nelson Reillo’s attorney, Russell S. Bensing, on the level of deference intermediate courts should give to juries when asked to weigh the evidence presented at trial.

“If we’re not giving some deference to the people who actually heard the case, why are we bothering to have jury trials?” Justice R. Patrick DeWine (R) asked.

Justice Jennifer Brunner (D) wondered about cases where witnesses testified ...