Mission Statement

Ohio Innocence Watch is a public-service initiative of Ohio Court Watch administered by law students at Cleveland State University College of Law. Its mission is to promote transparency, public awareness, and accountability in active innocence litigation throughout the State of Ohio.

Ohio Innocence Watch is not intended to serve as a historical registry of every innocence claim ever raised in Ohio courts. Rather, it is designed to track and document currently active innocence claims being litigated at either the trial court or appellate level. The project seeks to provide the public with clear and accessible information regarding where a case originated, when the claimant was convicted, the current procedural posture of the litigation, and upcoming hearings or scheduled court events when available.

By centralizing this information in one publicly accessible forum, Ohio Innocence Watch aims to serve as a resource for journalists, students, researchers, advocates, attorneys, policymakers, and all citizens interested in the pursuit of truth and the prevention of wrongful convictions. The project also seeks to encourage the fair, transparent, and efficient processing of innocence claims within Ohio’s justice system.

Ohio Innocence Watch welcomes communication from attorneys, litigants, innocence organizations, journalists, and advocates involved in active innocence litigation in Ohio. Individuals seeking to have a qualifying case included are encouraged to contact Ohio Court Watch with relevant case information and updates.

Justice Donnelly

Michael P. Donnelly is a former Justice of the Supreme Court of Ohio and now serves as Of Counsel at Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease LLP, where his practice focuses on mediation, arbitration, and consulting on appellate advocacy. Over a judicial career spanning two decades, including fourteen years on the Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas and service as Ohio’s 160th Supreme Court Justice, he earned national recognition for his leadership in sentencing reform, plea-bargaining transparency, and civil-justice-reform initiatives aimed at eliminating systemic delay and improving access to timely, fair adjudication. A former prosecutor and civil litigator, Justice Donnelly has been a frequent lecturer for judicial and academic institutions across the country and has played key roles on statewide task forces addressing professionalism, conviction integrity, and post-conviction review. A Cleveland Heights resident, he is a graduate of St. Ignatius High School, John Carroll University, and Cleveland State University College of Law.