COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) -- A bill passed by the Ohio House and headed for the Senate could put Ohio among more than two dozen states that require a prosecutor's consent for a criminal defendant to waive a jury trial.
The bill would allow prosecutors to demand a jury trial for felony cases, even if a defendant wants to waive that right.
Proponents tell The Columbus Dispatch (http://bit.ly/H4DpLI ) the bill would eliminate an unfair advantage for defendants who may skip a jury in favor of presenting their case directly to a judge who is sympathetic to their defense.
Opponents of the bill say the proposal doesn't fit with defendants' constitutional rights and the ideas on which the judicial process is founded.
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Information from: The Columbus Dispatch, http://www.dispatch.com
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