Chief Justice Maureen O'Connor of the Ohio Supreme Court says the goal of a court task force is better operation and understanding of grand juries.
O'Connor, a Republican, says the grand jury committee she announced last month is the only one of its kind in the country. O'Connor said Thursday at a forum sponsored by The Associated Press that she's concerned about a lack of understanding statewide of how grand juries work, including in some news reporting. O'Connor said the grand jury task force will not consider whether the system, created by the Ohio Constitution, should be eliminated. A spate of fatal police shootings has led to suggestions that the court replace closed-door grand juries with a public indictment process. The panel's report is due by June 15.
