Municipal Court Judge Janaya Trotter Bratton

Honorable Janaya Trotter Bratton

Hamilton County Courthouse
1000 Main Street
Room 280
Cincinnati, Ohio 45202

Shawnise Lewis, Bailiff
Phone Number: 513-946-5256

Fax: 513-946-5258

Judge Trotter Bratton Updated Criminal/Traffic Continuance Schedule

Municipal Court Criminal/Traffic Continuance Schedule

Judge Janaya Trotter Bratton Court Orders

Due to the record number of COVID-19 cases in Hamilton County, beginning November 9, 2020 and continuing until further notice, Judge Trotter Bratton’s Court will operate as follows:

• • Civil Matters
    • Civil matters will be handled by phone.
    • Civil matters necessitating a hearing will be conducted via Zoom.
    • Parties will have the option of their trial being conducted via Zoom or to have their case continued until such time as it is safe to fully resume regular operations in the courthouse. The Court will send the Zoom link to the parties.
    • Civil jury trials are not estimated to resume until mid-2021.

• Criminal Matters [Email and Zoom Information at the Bottom of the Page]:

• Room 280 Schedule

* Counsel should instruct their clients NOT to appear for pre-trials unless a request is made to modify conditions of bond or privileges.

** Defendants granted driving privileges on an electronic/virtual docket day must show valid proof of insurance. The defendant’s driving privileges letter will be available to pick up from the Court on the following Monday, Wednesday, or Thursday before Noon.

*** Expungements will be granted without appearance. If there is an objection from the State, the expungement will be continued and notice provided to the party for appearance.

• • Email: Counsel shall email JTBpretrial@cms.hamilton-co.org. The email shall include:

(1) Case Caption

(2) Case Number

(3) Status of Discovery

(4) Next Requested Setting

• All proceedings requiring in person appearances (Trials, Motions, Pleas, etc.) will be sent to the Assignment Commissioner and set for a Monday, Wednesday, or Thursday.
• Additional Pre-Trial settings – counsel should specify a Tuesday or Friday within the next 30 days that counsel would like the matter to be continued to for another pre-trial.
  • If counsel does not specify a date, the Court will set additional pre-trials on a Tuesday or Friday approximately 30 days out.
  • If there have been more than 3 pre-trials in a case and discovery is not at issue, counsel shall consult with the prosecuting attorney to determine if the State objects to another continuance for pre-trial, and shall include the State’s response in the email. If the State objects, counsel must appear via Zoom with the State to discuss additional pre-trials.

• Zoom: The Court’s Zoom session will be live from 9am to Noon. The Court’s Zoom session can be accessed at:

• https://us02web.zoom.us/j/3416158511?pwd=ckp1dHgwajNCbG9EbGJ5WW9pcEg1Zz09.
  • Before being admitted to the session, you must identify the case for which you are appearing. When you sign in, you will be placed in a waiting room until your case is ready to be called. Cases will be called in the order the parties appear in the waiting room.