COLUMBUS, Ohio - State courts in Ohio have cut case backlogs that have been lingering since the beginning of the pandemic, Ohio Chief Justice Sharon Kennedy said in her State of the Judiciary address Thursday.

“When cases languish, justice delayed becomes justice denied,” she said at an annual meeting of the Ohio Judicial Conference, in which judges and court staff from across the state meet in Columbus.

Kennedy began her speech with a moment of silence for the victims of 9/11 and for Charlie Kirk, an ally of President Donald Trump and co-founder of Turning Point USA who was fatally shot Wednesday.

Kennedy, a Republican, ran for chief justice in 2022 on a platform that included reducing case backlogs. “Backlog” refers to cases that are considered “over age,” meaning they’ve exceeded the

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