Opinion ID: 2690066
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: analysis

Text: {¶ 54} In this case, R.C. 2953.32 authorized Judge Lyons to seal the conviction records of John Doe and of other similarly situated individuals convicted of minor misdemeanors. Minor misdemeanants are eligible to apply for sealing pursuant to R.C. 2953.31(A), and although the court sealed records with 21 SUPREME COURT OF OHIO an entry that inadvertently referenced R.C. 2953.52, not R.C. 2953.32, such a clerical mistake is apparent on the record and does not affect the validity of the judgment. As we explained in State ex rel. Cruzado v. Zaleski, 111 Ohio St.3d 353, 2006-Ohio-5795, 856 N.E.2d 263, ¶ 19, quoting State v. Brown, 136 Ohio App.3d 816, 819-820, 737 N.E.2d 1057 (2000), “ ‘The term “clerical mistake” refers to a mistake or omission, mechanical in nature and apparent on the record, which does not involve a legal decision or judgment.’ ” (Emphasis added.) The failure to cite the correct statute as authority for judicial action is such a nonsubstantive error that does not affect the validity of the order. See State v. Lester, 130 Ohio St.3d 303, 2011-Ohio-5204, 958 N.E.2d 142, ¶ 20 (distinguishing errors that affect only the form of the entry from violations of substantive requirements). Tellingly, the Enquirer cites no specific authority to the contrary. {¶ 55} The court’s decision to conduct the hearing required by R.C. 2953.32(B) and 2953.52(B) immediately upon disposition does not invalidate the order to seal. There is no waiting period for a minor misdemeanant to apply to seal a record, and Judge Lyons had scheduled the hearing on the application for the same day. There is no statutory language requiring the court to set a hearing date “at a reasonable time in the future,” Majority Opinion at ¶ 33, or to provide notice of the hearing to the public. Rather, the statutes direct the court only to notify the prosecutor of the hearing, and the prosecutor alone is granted the right to object to sealing. And notably, conducting a “hearing” does not even necessarily require a formal court appearance or evidentiary presentation, but may also involve the court’s consideration of the filings. See, e.g., Sumner v. Mata, 449 U.S. 539, 546, 101 S.Ct. 764, 66 L.Ed.2d 722 (1981) (a review of the paper record is a “hearing” for purposes of the federal habeas statute, 28 U.S.C. 2254); Black’s Law Dictionary 789 (9th Ed.2009) (distinguishing an evidentiary hearing from “a hearing at which only legal argument is presented”). 22 January Term, 2014