News & Announcements

CSU Hosts Ceremony Honoring Historical Impact of Terry v. Ohio

Cleveland State University will host a dedication by the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor's Office of a new Ohio historical plaque commemorating the landmark 1968 Supreme Court case Terry v. Ohio. The event will be held Friday, February 10 at 1:30 p.m. at the Cleveland-Marshall College of Law, 1801 Euclid Ave.

Terry v. Ohio created new standards for lawful searches by police, requiring that they must be based on reasonable suspicion stemming from "specific and articulable facts.” The decision led to the creation of the stop and frisk protocol which is also known as a “Terry Frisk.”

The case was litigated by defense attorney and future Congressman Louis Stokes and prosecutor Reuben Payne, both 1953 graduates of Cleveland-Marshall. The Supreme Court oral argument in 1967 was a milestone in American legal history, as two African-American lawyers argued a case before an African-American Supreme Court justice, Thurgood Marshall, for the first time. 

Speakers at the dedication ceremony include: The Honorable C. Ellen Connally, retired judge of the Cleveland Municipal Court and former president of the Cuyahoga County Council; the Honorable Stuart A. Friedman, Judge of the Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court; Brett Hammond, of the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s Office; and Timothy McGinty, former Cuyahoga County Prosecutor and Common Pleas Court judge. Hammond is the grandson of Congressman Stokes and Judge Friedman is the son of Judge Bernard Friedman, who presided over the Terry case in the Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court.

The 60-minute program is free and open to the public and will be followed by a reception.

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