On Tuesday, February 24, 2026, Carlin U. Powell, incarcerated at Noble Correctional Institution, filed a complaint in the Supreme Court of Ohio seeking a writ of prohibition against the Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas and Judge Brendan Sheehan.

Powell alleges that Judge Sheehan and the Cuyahoga County Court acted without legal authority in his case, specifically concerning the calculation of jail-time credit under the Interstate Agreement on Detainers (IAD).

Powell’s complaint details a series of judicial actions he claims have violated his rights. The core of the dispute revolves around the IAD, a compact governing the temporary transfer of prisoners for trial in other jurisdictions. Powell argues that the Cuyahoga County Court has miscalculated his jail-time credit, contravening the IAD and his Fourteenth Amendment due process rights.

The filing highlights a prior recusal of all Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court judges from Powell’s case on September 22, 2017, due to conflicts. Subsequently, the Supreme Court of Ohio assigned Judge Joseph Gibson to the case. Powell asserts that Judge Gibson issued an order granting him 718 days of jail-time credit. However, Judge John J. Russo of the Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court later removed 576 of those days, allegedly disregarding the Supreme Court’s assignment and Judge Gibson’s order.

Powell contends that Judge Sheehan also acted improperly by personally taking up the case and denying motions for time-served credit filed by Powell around April 7, 2021, and May 30, 2025. Powell argues that Judge Sheehan’s actions violated the United States Constitution and the Supreme Law of the land. He claims that neither Judge Russo nor Judge Sheehan had the authority to overrule Judge Gibson’s order, as Judge Gibson was specifically assigned by the Supreme Court of Ohio. He argues that this contravenes the Ohio Supreme Court Guidelines for Assignment of Judges, which dictate that a judge’s assignment continues until the case concludes or the Chief Justice reassigns it.

Powell is requesting the Supreme Court to grant a writ of prohibition, compelling the court to award him the full 576 days of jail-time credit and order his immediate release, arguing that he has served the time imposed as required by law. Powell is representing himself in this matter.

A copy of the original filing can be found here.