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Seminars directed to only judges, prosecutors are troubling

ROBERT CALESARIC • September 7, 2010

Recently, I became aware of a situation that, as a criminal defense lawyer, I find troubling. I discovered the Ohio Highway Patrol is conducting seminars with federal government monies.

What makes this so disturbing is the fact the seminars are directed to judges and prosecutors only, and defense counsel are specifically excluded. This raises concerns the programs are being conducted to indoctrinate judges and to influence future court decisions

I can only assume these specific programs somehow slipped by the Ohio Supreme Court’s CLE committee and disciplinary counsel without being properly vetted to see if they are ethically proper and to see if credit could be given appropriately for attendance. From the perspective of one who has been excluded, these programs do not appear to pass muster on either point.