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Attorney General Mike DeWine
AG’s Office
Wins Award For Expert Advocacy In Child Abuse Case
(COLUMBUS, Ohio)—Following a unanimous ruling in Ohio’s favor earlier
today, a national group has recognized Ohio Attorney General Mike
DeWine's office for the high quality of the office's work in the United
States Supreme Court. The National Association of Attorneys
General (NAAG) has awarded a Best Brief Award to the Ohio Attorney
General’s Office for its work in Ohio v. Clark, which was decided
earlier today with a unanimous ruling in favor of Ohio’s arguments.
"I am honored that our office has received this important award," said
Attorney General DeWine. "I know that we have some of the best lawyers
in the country working to protect Ohioans, and it is especially
important that Ohioans have top-notch advocacy in the U.S. Supreme
Court."
The National Association of Attorneys General (NAAG), annually bestows
"Best Brief Awards" to recognize excellence in briefwriting in the U.S.
Supreme Court by state attorneys. The award is meant to honor excellent
legal writing and to highlight briefs that should serve as a model for
lawyers across the country. The award was presented during the NAAG
Summer Meeting on Thursday.
The Ohio Attorney General's Office has an Appeals Section, led by a
State Solicitor, devoted to handling the State's major appeals, such as
those in the U.S. Supreme Court and the Ohio Supreme Court. The
Best Brief Award was given to the team that wrote the award-winning
brief for Ohio v. Clark, including State Solicitor Eric Murphy and
Deputy Solicitor Sam Peterson. In addition to writing the court
brief, the Ohio Attorney General’s Office provided extensive legal
research, argument preparation, and coaching in advance of the oral
arguments.
The winning brief asked the Court to overturn another court’s ruling,
which had thrown out a child abuse conviction because it said the
child’s statement to a teacher about the abuse could not be used as
evidence. Ohio’s brief argued that the statement was allowed and did
not violate the U.S. Constitution. The U.S. Supreme Court unanimously
agreed with Ohio’s position. This victory greatly assists prosecutors
in convicting child abusers and other criminals.
Earlier Thursday, Attorney General DeWine issued this statement after
the Court issued its opinion in Ohio v. Clark:
“Today’s decision is a great victory for protecting Ohio’s
children. The Court unanimously decided that children telling
their teachers they have been abused is not the same as speaking to law
enforcement or prosecutors. This is an important ruling that preserves
Ohio’s strong reporting system for protecting children from child
abuse.”
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