Comparing Notes with a Judge from China

A few days ago Judge Caiyan Yan from China visited the Ohio Supreme Court. Judge Yan is a member of the Higher People’s Court in Changsha, the capital of Hunan Province approximately 915 miles southwest of Beijing.

Judge Yan observed three oral arguments at the Thomas J. Moyer Judicial Center on February 5. Two days later, I welcomed her in my chambers for an informal conversation about the similarities and differences in our judicial systems. She had many questions about what she observed here at the Supreme Court of Ohio and the other courts she had visited throughout her stay in the United States.

 



We talked for about an hour through the help of an interpreter. Both of us had questions for the other about what it was like to serve as a judge in our country.

Judge Yan has served on the Higher People’s Court since 2005, after she received her master’s degree in law from Wuhan University. Her primary judicial role is to review administrative law and procedural matters for the court.

Judge Yan was very interested in discussing dispute resolution because she oversees the resolution of disputes between bureaucracies. She said that in China, officials encourage judges to use mediation and other similar means to resolve civil disputes. I expressed my view: Mediation is successful when both parties leave the table equally unhappy with an agreement because that means they each had to compromise on strongly held positions.

Judge Yan also was interested in hearing about cases when public figures were involved. I stressed that officials here in the states do not receive special consideration: judges use the same rules for litigants whether they are rich or poor. We strive for equal justice under the law.

I enjoyed spending time with Judge Yan, having the opportunity to exchange ideas. Perhaps we will have the chance to meet again.  She, her husband, and their 8-year-old daughter will return to China at the end of the month.

Labor Day Reminders Adorn the Ohio Judicial Center

Labor Day is this Monday, and of course we celebrate the traditional end of summer with picnics and family relaxation. But sometimes amid the hotdogs and last dips in the pool we forget that  Labor Day was created to remember the workers who built our nation and continue to make it prosperous and productive. A visit to the Thomas J. Moyer Ohio Judicial Center would serve as a good reminder of labor’s importance to the United States and the Buckeye State.

Throughout our historic building there are great works of art that recognize what we celebrate on Labor Day. It is a building that remembers labor, both inside and out.

On the exterior of the building for example, marble bas relief sculptures illustrate dozens of industries from woodworking to beekeeping. On the northeast corner of the center’s exterior, a carved saying proclaims in stone what could be the Labor Day motto: “The whole fabric of society rests upon labor.”
When you enter the building and visit the North Hearing Room you will see the area of the Judicial Center with the most obvious labor theme.

Architect Harry Hake designed this room to be used by the Industrial Commission for workers compensation hearings. John F. Holmer created 11 murals titled The Progress of Industry, which realistically depict the dignity of physical labor. They reflect a style of public art popular throughout the 1930s known as American Realism.

The center panels on the north and south walls to the right and the left as you enter the room are the major paintings in the series. On the right, in the center of the north wall, early Ohio industry is depicted. Men are shown plowing, driving an oxcart, digging, and hauling lumber for a building under construction in the smaller panel to the right. Women are spinning, churning, and carrying water.
Across from this painting, on the south wall is a contrasting scene of a modern steel building being erected.

The rest of the murals are divided between early scenes of Ohio labor and modern work. Flanking the center mural on the left on the north wall, is a scene depicting the early pottery industry, including workers at a potter's wheel, a kiln, and pots drying in the sun. The right hand panel on the west wall shows a blacksmith shop.

A three-panel mural covers the east wall. Pioneers arrive in Ohio in Conestoga wagons toward the  center panel,  a rural scene, while on the right, miners, a coal tipple, and oil derricks symbolize the modern period.  At the west wall on the left side of the window, men work with various machines, in contrast to the blacksmith who uses older hand tools in the scene on the right. The south wall’s  main mural is accompanied by a modern steel mill on the left and   a modern stone quarry on the right.
 This room is now used primarily for hearings by Supreme Court commissions such as the Board of Commissioners on Grievances & Discipline.

As you relax this Monday, take a moment to remember the reason for Labor Day. And if you need a reminder, come and visit the Moyer Judicial Center.

Thomas J. Moyer Ohio Judicial Center

As of December 2, the building that houses the Supreme Court of Ohio has a new name.

The Ohio Judicial Center will now be called the Thomas J. Moyer Ohio Judicial Center in honor of our late Chief Justice Moyer.

The second longest serving chief justice in Ohio history, and the longest serving state court chief justice in the nation at the time of his untimely death on April 2, 2010, Chief Justice Moyer served the court for just shy of 24 years. He is known for starting the rehabilitation of the 1930s Ohio Departments building that became the Ohio Judicial Center in 2004 and for his significant contributions to civility and public service and his dedication to the rule of law.

Almost 400 members of the judiciary and guests honored the late chief justice on Dec. 2 during the rededication ceremony. As part of the event, Chief Justice Moyer’s official court portrait was hung in the grand concourse where it will welcome all visitors to the home of the Supreme Court of Ohio.

Chief Justice to Greet First Field Trip of the Season at Ohio Judicial Center

Each school year, thousands of students from around the state tour the Supreme Court.

We will welcome our first field trip of the year on Tuesday when 25 students from Hathaway Brown (an all-girls school in Shaker Heights) visit. Not only will they tour the Visitor Education Center, but they will sit in the courtroom and listen to a case being argued before the seven Justices of the Supreme Court.

But best of all, Chief Justice Maureen O’Connor will talk to and answer questions from the girls. Please look for a blog post later this week with photos and a video of their discussion.

Students and teachers: If you have any questions before or after your visit to the Supreme Court, please post them here on the blog, and we will get you an answer ASAP.