On Tuesday, May 19, 2026, Logan Mathys filed a petition for a writ of mandamus in the Supreme Court of Ohio, alleging that Jacob A. Estes, Judge of the Bellefontaine Municipal Court, and the Bellefontaine Municipal Court itself, violated his constitutional rights. The petition, case number 26-0630, claims that Mathys was denied his right to a jury trial and access to his own case records due to unconstitutional financial barriers imposed by the court.

Mathys states that he timely demanded a jury trial in a civil action, Case No. 25CVF01412, pending in the Bellefontaine Municipal Court. However, the petition alleges that Judge Estes entered a summary judgment against Mathys without conducting a jury trial. Furthermore, Mathys claims he was required to pay a $500.00 fee as a precondition to exercising his Seventh Amendment right to a jury trial, a demand he asserts is unconstitutional.

The petition further details that Mathys was also charged a $150.00 fee to file an appeal of the denial of his jury trial right, which he argues foreclosed his ordinary legal remedy. Additionally, Mathys alleges he was asked to pay $740.00 to access his own case records, a demand he contends violates Ohio Revised Code § 149.43, the state’s public records act, and constitutional rights to access judicial proceedings.

Mathys argues that these financial barriers are impermissible under several U.S. Supreme Court precedents, including Griffin v. Illinois, Boddie v. Connecticut, and M.L.B. v. S.L.J. These cases, he asserts, establish a clear legal duty for courts not to impose financial barriers to constitutional rights, regardless of a party’s ability to pay.

The petition emphasizes that public institutions like the Bellefontaine Municipal Court are funded by the public, and individuals like Mathys, as members of the public, are co-owners and co-funders of these institutions, thus should not be charged fees for access.

The petition requests that the Supreme Court of Ohio issue a writ of mandamus ordering the respondents to vacate the summary judgment, conduct a jury trial, waive all associated fees for the jury trial and appeal, and provide immediate access to case records without charge.

Mathys also seeks a stay of proceedings in Case No. 25CVF01412 and an order that no filing fee be imposed on the mandamus petition itself, citing the constitutional rights at stake.

A copy of the original filing can be found here.