Ohio House Passes Legislation to Protect Ohio Jurors from Intimidation

The Ohio House of Representatives today passed House Bill 478 - the Jury Tampering Prevention Act - a bipartisan piece of legislation sponsored by State Representatives David Thomas (R-Jefferson) and Eric Synenberg (D-Beachwood). The bill is aimed at penalizing jury tampering for criminal proceedings in Ohio.

House Bill 478 was introduced in response to an incident in Ashtabula County, where a juror received a threatening message via social media during an active criminal trial. The message, sent by someone who knew the defendant, attempted to influence the juror's vote and nearly resulted in a mistrial. While Ohio law currently criminalizes the bribery of jurors, it lacks clear statutory language addressing intimidation or other forms of jury tampering.

"HB 478 does what all Ohioans believe should be true: juries should be independent and without the worry of interference or tampering," said Representative David Thomas.

"I am proud that the Ohio House passed this commonsense, bipartisan piece of legislation," said Rep. Synenberg. "Most people would be surprised to learn that offenses like jury tampering in criminal cases are not explicitly prohibited under Ohio law. Our justice system depends on jurors being able to fulfill their civic duty free from threats of intimidation or outside influence. I would urge the Senate to move this quickly so we can get this bill signed into law and deliver these protections for Ohioans."

Developed in collaboration with Ashtabula County judges and other proponents, H.B. 478 expands Ohio statute by defining a juror and establishing clear penalties for a jury tampering offense in criminal cases.

The bill creates two tiers of offense:

• A first-degree misdemeanor for knowingly attempting to influence, intimidate, or hinder a juror; and
• A third-degree felony when such conduct involves force or the threat of harm.

H.B. 478 is modeled in part on existing Pennsylvania law and is designed to align with current Ohio criminal statutes. The legislation has received strong support from interested parties who see this as a necessary step to protect jurors and uphold due process.

The bill now heads to the Ohio Senate for consideration.