In The News

As a general rule, I don’t write blog posts. I never posted on Facebook, and I only joined Instagram so I could actually see what my kids were sending me. Today I decided to give it a go. It is Sunday, February 8, 2026 – Super Bowl Sunday. Susan and I are in the office. She’s fine-tuning her oral argument. I am reviewing caselaw.

On Tuesday, we will present the matter of John Paganini v. The Cataract Eye Center of Cleveland to the Ohio Supreme Court. You may have read the various Justice for John postings from our office or read about the case online. If you haven’t, I urge you to take a minute. The case matters, not just because it is Mr. Paganini or because he is our client. The case matters because it presents an important question about whether a particular law can apply to a particular man on a particular set of facts. While that description may make the case sound smaller or less significant, it is not at all. https://bit.ly/4qmTh28

The courts are a backstop to unfairness and overreach. They are break walls against the political and social waves of the day. They are, by design at least, an impartial arbiter of the law, guided by precedent, moderated by the weight of history, and the accountability of legacy. In today’s climate, the consideration our courts give a particular man under a particular law on a particular set of facts speaks volumes to the health of the system. That sounds heavy, and it is.

But this is the view from my desk: My office is full of items significant to me — family photos, thank you cards from clients, a sheet of Hank Aaron forever stamps, even a Captain America photo with the quote “FOR TRUTH AND JUSTICE.” But right above me is the reason I am a lawyer. The small one is my dad in his first office with his Geauga County Prosecutor’s badge, behind it is from my college graduation, and the top one was given to me after he passed.

He would be proud of the work we are doing. I can hear him asking questions, giving suggestions, and urging us forward. He would remind us that the work we are doing matters. That fighting against the application of that particular law to that particular man on that particular set of facts matters. He would tell us that truth matters. He would remind us that we should not spend a minute thinking about how much work it is and has been, and instead, remember this is an opportunity to appear before the highest court in Ohio and make a difference.

He would tell us to prepare, to believe, and to have faith in the system.

And we do.

-Todd Petersen