State v. Morris

The central issue in this cause is one of first impression in this state — whether the General Assembly, in view of Section 1 of Article IV of the Ohio Constitution, may lawfully enact statutes which, while establishing new elements of crime and corresponding degrees of punishment, provide that those convicted or sentenced under the repealed criminal statutes may obtain the benefits of the newly enacted provisions. In particular, the question arises as to whether the General Assembly may require by statute that the trial court review, upon request of the prisoner, his conviction and sentence…