Here is a link to the story published Tuesday about oral arguments before the Ohio 6th District Court of Appeals panel of three judges.
Not much new in the 15-minute oral presentations but courtwatchers tell me that the bulk of the case hinges on the written motions, and the oral arguments are just to get an overview or update and give the judges a chance to ask questions.
A second story ran today about a motion asking the judge to recuse herself from the case because of her Catholic upbringing. Here's a link.
I think it's interesting, as reported, that Judge Ruth Ann Franks recused herself from the criminal case against Gerald Robinson in 2004, citing possible conflicts of interest because her husband, Josh Franks, was a police technician who investigated the murder in 1980 and because she was an assistant county prosecutor at the time.
Now the plaintiff's attorney is asking her to step aside because of her Catholicism and not for the reasons she cited in the murder case.
I've been told the threshhold for courts to consider judges' possible conflicts of interest is low, meaning they expect Judge Franks to recuse herself. That's not my area of expertise, I'm just relaying what others told me.
It's nothing against Judge Franks' integrity or ability when something like this comes up. It's more a matter of going the extra mile to insure a fair trial.
It's now nearly 2 years since the murder conviction and there is still quite a bit going on in this case.
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Other musings:
Janet and I went to see The Lion King musical last night at the Stranahan Theater in Toledo. It's the biggest, longest stage production ever put on in Toledo, going 6 weeks. I've been interested in this play ever since I saw an interview with Julie Taymoor about the costumes and staging before it opened on Broadway in 1997 -- so it's been a while.
I'm glad I didn't have to review it for the paper but in a nutshell: Awesome visuals, but the rest of the show was lacking.
The costumes, lighting, props, backdrops, and stage set up were astounding and worth the (hefty) ticket price.
The acting was uninspired and even awkward at time. The music is mediocre except for a couple of songs ("Hakuna Matata" and "Circle of Life"). The plot is lame, and it's no excuse to say it's a children's play. There are many awesome children's movies, books and plays that don't treat young audiences as if they're dummies (Toy Story, Narnia, Harry Potter for examples).
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Yesterday I received 3 dinner invitations: one to an Easter potluck at a Buddhist couple's house, one to the home of a Toledo Sikh family, and a third to a banquet honoring medical missionaries.
I can't make the first one; the second one will probably happen but I don't know when, and I'll likely sign up for the banquet.
Covering religion for a newspaper is never dull, you meet some of the nicest people, and sometimes you even get to eat a good meal.
Toledo, Ohio
March 20, 2008