In the past, if members of the public wanted to get copies of a significant Fairfield County Common Pleas Court decision, they had to go the courthouse and ask an employee of the clerk of courts to provide them.

But now, a new page on the Fairfield County Common Pleas Court's website, www.co.fairfield.oh.us/CommonPleas, will contain the full text of selected decisions issued by the court.

"Just as the Ohio Supreme Court and the Fifth District Court of Appeals provide online access to their decisions, the general public and attorneys will now have online access to significant decisions made by our court as well," said Fairfield County Common Pleas Court Judge Richard Berens.

All decisions by the courts are public records and are filed with the Clerk of Courts.

Berens said the Common Pleas Court judges will decide which decisions are posted to the website.

They will include motions in civil and criminal cases dealing with suppression of evidence, motions to dismiss, restraining orders and verdicts.

Court decisions which meet the judge's criteria, including complexity of the legal issues involved and whether the case involves issues of general public interest or involves the application of law to a novel set of facts will be posted.

"Right now, we don't have enough employees to be posting all the decisions on the website," Berens said.

"So it will only be those decisions that are significant to begin with."

The decisions will be posted at least once a month, Berens said.

There also will be link to the court's website on the Fairfield County Bar Association website, the professional organization for attorneys practicing law in Fairfield County.

"Ready access to these decisions will hopefully lead to a better understanding by the public of how its court system operates and will assist attorneys in keeping current with our interpretations of the law," Berens said.

Additional FactsON THE WEB:

The Fairfield County Common Pleas Court website is www.co.fairfield.oh.us/CommonPleas.

The Fairfield County Bar Association website is www.fairfieldcountybar.org.