Latest news with #ACLUofOhio
Yahoo
30-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Youth transgender care ban still in effect while appeal plays out, Ohio Supreme Court rules
Apr. 29—The Ohio Supreme Court issued a ruling Tuesday allowing the state to continue a ban on gender-affirming care for youth while Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost appeals a lower court's decision. In March, the Tenth District Court of Appeals found House Bill 68 ― which prevents LGBTQ+ minors from accessing care such as hormone blockers, hormone replacement therapy (HRT) and some mental health services ― to be unconstitutional. The appellate court ordered a trial court to enter a permanent injunction blocking it. The trial court, the Franklin County Common Pleas Court, never issued the injunction, so the ban on gender-affirming care for youth in Ohio has continued, ACLU of Ohio said. In appealing to the Ohio Supreme Court, Yost asked the court to pause the injunction while his appeal with the high court plays out. The Ohio Supreme Court granted the request on Tuesday. "It is a terrible shame that the Supreme Court of Ohio is permitting the state to evade compliance with the Ohio Constitution," said Freda Levenson, legal director at the ACLU of Ohio. The lawsuit was first filed on March 26, 2024 by the American Civil Liberties Union, the ACLU of Ohio, and the global law firm Goodwin on behalf of two families who said their transgender adolescents would be negatively impacted by House Bill 68. Both families were seeking access to gender-affirming care, such as puberty blockers and hormone replacement therapy, describing plans to seek care in Chicago and Michigan if the ban took place, which it did. "Our clients have suffered tangible and irreparable harm during the eight months that HB 68 has been in place, including being denied essential health care in their home state," Levenson said. On Aug. 6, 2024, following a five-day trial in July, the Franklin County Court of Common Pleas rejected the plaintiffs' challenge and allowed the ban on gender-affirming care to take effect. The plaintiffs appealed the decision on their argument that House Bill 68 violates the Ohio Constitution, with which a three-judge panel at the 10th District Court of Appeals agreed on two points and rendered the other two points as moot. A comment from Yost was not immediately available.
Yahoo
30-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Court rules Ohio's ban on gender-affirming care can be enforced amid suits
The Ohio Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that a state law prohibiting minors from receiving gender-affirming care can be enforced as court battles proceed over the law's constitutionality. The state's high court granted a request from Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost (R) to stay an appellate court ruling from March that blocked the state from enforcing the law, pending full review. The two-sentence Tuesday order was issued by the Republican chief justice, Sharon Kennedy. Republican Justice Pat Fischer and Democratic Justice Jennifer Brunner dissented. 'This cause is pending before the court as a jurisdictional appeal. Upon consideration of appellants' emergency motion for stay pending appeal, it is ordered by the court that the motion is granted,' the order read. The Ohio General Assembly, in 2023, passed House Bill 68, banning puberty blockers and hormone therapy for minors. The bill was vetoed by the state's Republican governor, but both legislative chambers voted to overturn his veto. The ACLU of Ohio brought a lawsuit on behalf of two transgender minors challenging the legality of the statute. The law has been caught up in the courts for months. 'It is a terrible shame that the Supreme Court of Ohio is permitting the state to evade compliance with the Ohio Constitution. Our clients have suffered tangible and irreparable harm during the eight months that HB 68 has been in place, including being denied essential health care in their home state,' the ACLU of Ohio's legal director, Freda Levenson, said in a Tuesday statement responding to the court order. 'The Court of Appeals was correct that HB 68 violates at least two separate provisions of the Ohio Constitution. We will continue to fight this extreme ban as the case goes ahead before the Supreme Court of Ohio,' Levenson continued. Yost, who is running for Ohio governor, posted on X announcing the court's ruling. In a statement to a Cleveland news outlet, his spokesperson, Bethany McCorkle, said the attorney general's office is pleased that the law 'protecting children from drug-induced gender transitions remains in effect as the case moves forward.' 'We look forward to showing once again that the legislature acted properly in enacting this constitutional law, which protects our children from irreversible medical decisions,' McCorkle continued in the statement. The Hill has reached out to the attorney general's office for comment. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Hill
29-04-2025
- Health
- The Hill
Court rules Ohio's ban on gender-affirming care can be enforced amid suits
The Ohio Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that a state law prohibiting minors from receiving gender-affirming care can be enforced as court battles proceed over the law's constitutionality. The state's high court granted a request from Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost (R) to stay an appellate court ruling from March that blocked the state from enforcing the law, pending full review. The two-sentence Tuesday order was issued by the Republican chief justice, Sharon Kennedy. Republican Justice Pat Fischer and Democratic Justice Jennifer Brunner dissented. 'This cause is pending before the court as a jurisdictional appeal. Upon consideration of appellants' emergency motion for stay pending appeal, it is ordered by the court that the motion is granted,' the order read. The Ohio General Assembly, in 2023, passed House Bill 68, banning puberty blockers and hormone therapy for minors. The bill was vetoed by the state's Republican governor, but both legislative chambers voted to overturn his veto. The ACLU of Ohio brought a lawsuit on behalf of two transgender minors challenging the legality of the statute. The law has been caught up in the courts for months. 'It is a terrible shame that the Supreme Court of Ohio is permitting the state to evade compliance with the Ohio Constitution. Our clients have suffered tangible and irreparable harm during the eight months that HB 68 has been in place, including being denied essential health care in their home state,' the ACLU of Ohio's legal director, Freda Levenson, said in a Tuesday statement responding to the court order. 'The Court of Appeals was correct that HB 68 violates at least two separate provisions of the Ohio Constitution. We will continue to fight this extreme ban as the case goes ahead before the Supreme Court of Ohio,' Levenson continued. Yost, who is running for Ohio governor, posted on X announcing the court's ruling. In a statement to a Cleveland news outlet, his spokesperson, Bethany McCorkle, said the attorney general's office is pleased that the law 'protecting children from drug-induced gender transitions remains in effect as the case moves forward.' 'We look forward to showing once again that the legislature acted properly in enacting this constitutional law, which protects our children from irreversible medical decisions,' McCorkle continued in the statement.
Yahoo
28-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
ACLU report warns that Ohio lawmakers are adding to prison population in big and small ways
(File photo of a prison by) Ohio's jail and prison population continues to swell, the ACLU of Ohio says, thanks to 'mass incarceration by 1,000 cuts.' The civil rights group's Statehouse-to-Prison Pipeline report highlights legislation introduced in the previous General Assembly that's likely to increase the number of people behind bars. It's the fifth such report the group has published. ACLU Chief Lobbyist Gary Daniels said over that ten year stretch more than 500 measures expanding incarceration have been filed and 76 of those have become law. 'I started with the ACLU of Ohio back in 1995,' he said. 'Our prisons were overcrowded then. Here we are 30 years later, and they remain above capacity.' According to the report, Ohio's prisons were built to house roughly 37,000 people, but as of December 2024, there were 45,490 people behind bars, or more than 120% of capacity. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Lawmakers filed nearly 80 proposals in the last General Assembly that create a new criminal offense, enhance the punishment for an existing one, or expand the scope of who can be charged. The ACLU classifies these as pipeline bills. Of those, the governor signed 14 into law. Daniels explained those measures operate on two tracks — the micro and the macro. But both contribute to mass incarceration. On the macro side, he pointed to House Bill 230, which after failing last session has returned as House Bill 88. The bill increases drug trafficking penalties with a specific emphasis on fentanyl. 'It's not a popular bill to oppose,' Daniels acknowledged. 'We get that.' 'The legislators are absolutely right and correct to be concerned about and searching for solutions and a way out of this,' he argued. But increasing penalties in 27 areas while adding more mandatory minimums isn't the right approach with an already overburdened prison system. At the same time that lawmakers advance wide-ranging sentencing changes they also regularly file narrower knee-jerk-reaction bills. 'Certain issues make the headlines and boom, all of a sudden, you've got legislation to address it,' Daniels described. 'In Ohio this most recent legislative session,' Daniels continued, 'it was catalytic converter thefts and increasing the penalties for that. It was increasing penalties for retail thefts, assaults on sports officials and referees.' The share of bills filed each session that would increase incarceration is relatively small. In the most recent General Assembly, the 79 pipeline bills represented just 7.5% of the total. The 14 signed into law account for only 1.3%. But with the added dimension of time, Daniels argued, those proposals pile up, and they have a meaningful impact on prison populations. When lawmakers see a problem, they often respond by increasing punishments. But understanding how their limited provision on catalytic converters fits into a broader program of mass incarceration isn't always obvious. 'Term limits are certainly a factor here,' Daniels said. 'They learn this over time,' he explained. 'And sometimes you get people who are well positioned to make an impact and really start fundamentally getting this issue, and then they're right back out of office.' The consequences of that steady accumulation, Daniels said, show up in the state capital budget. 'You have counties and cities that have been lining up, quite literally at the Statehouse to get new and additional funding to both build new jails and to renovate existing jails,' he explained. In the last capital budget, lawmakers earmarked $50 million for local jails and more than $250 million for improvements to state prisons. The ACLU report also highlights some positive moves from lawmakers. One example was legislation reducing the use of driver's license suspensions as a form of punishment. Another directs state corrections officials to help those preparing for reentry to get documents, like a Social Security card, birth certificate or ID card, they'll need to get a job. But even these bright spots are bittersweet. Lawmakers continue to 'address the back end of this problem,' Daniels explained. 'What are we doing with people already in prison, in jail, in the criminal legal system instead of looking at, and making those efforts, and turning that focus to can we keep them from getting there in the first place?' Follow Ohio Capital Journal Reporter Nick Evans on X or on Bluesky. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
27-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Students, faculty are asking Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine to veto massive higher ed overhaul bill
Hundreds of students protested against Senate Bill 1 on Ohio State's campus on March 4, 2025. (Photo by Megan Henry, Ohio Capital Journal). Ohio college students, faculty and staff are calling on Gov. Mike DeWine to veto a massive higher education bill that would ban diversity and inclusion on campus and prevent faculty from striking. Lawmakers concurred with tweaks made to Senate Bill 1 during Wednesday's Senate session, sending the bill to DeWine's desk for his signature. DeWine received the bill Wednesday and has 10 days to sign the bill into law or veto it. If DeWine vetoes the bill, lawmakers would need a 3/5 vote from each chamber to override it. DeWine, however, has previously said he would sign the bill. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX S.B. 1 would set rules around classroom discussion, create post-tenure reviews, put diversity scholarships at risk, create a retrenchment provision that blocks unions from negotiating on tenure, shorten university board of trustees terms from nine years down to six years, and require students take an American history course, among other things. For classroom discussion, the bill would set rules around topics involving 'controversial beliefs' such as climate policies, electoral politics, foreign policy, diversity and inclusion programs, immigration policy, marriage, or abortion, and forbid 'indoctrination,' though that remains undefined. S.B. 1 would only affect Ohio's public universities. 'Republicans showed us they'd rather gamble with our economic future than solve real problems in our state,' Ohio Democratic Party Chair Elizabeth Walters said in a statement. 'Instead of growing our state, Republicans are driving students, young adults, and business away from Ohio. We're urging Governor DeWine to do the right thing and veto this legislation.' Students say they will leave Ohio if lawmakers go forward with massive higher education overhaul The Ohio Senate Democratic Caucus sent a letter to DeWine urging him to veto S.B. 1. 'This legislation is a misguided attempt by overreaching legislators to impose their ideological beliefs on our public universities,' the letter said. 'The bill undermines academic freedom, attacks collective bargaining rights, and jeopardizes the future of higher education in our state.' The Ohio House Minority Caucus also sent a letter to DeWine asking him to veto the bill. 'You have an opportunity to protect the future of Ohio's institutions of higher education, and your legacy as Ohio's governor, by vetoing this bill and requiring the legislature to negate terms that are more amenable to the will of Ohioans,' the letter read. The ACLU of Ohio wants DeWine to veto S.B. 1 and protect free speech on campus. 'By dismantling DEI structures, Senate Bill 1 sends a clear, harmful message to students that their unique backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives are not welcome in Ohio,' ACLU of Ohio Policy Director Jocelyn Rosnick said in a statement. Anticipating S.B. 1 would pass during Wednesday's Senate session, members of the Ohio Legislative Black Caucus urged DeWine to veto S.B. 1 during a press conference earlier that day. 'This is one of the worst government overhauls that I've seen to date,' said state Rep. Terrence Upchurch, D-Cleveland. 'It will not only limit our First Amendment right to free speech, ban strikes and collective bargaining rights for professors, it threatens opportunities for our students, undermines workforce development and disproportionately harms black and minority communities.' State Rep. Desiree Tims, D-Dayton, said S.B. 1 is toxic, racist and a threat to free speech and academic freedom. 'Since when is diversity, equity and inclusion a bad thing?' she asked. 'Why is this necessary? The only answer is, so that we can move backwards, pre-civil rights … progress that this country and this nation has stood for. … Senate Bill 1 turns the ugly page back in history, somewhere we do not want to go, where we should not go.' Ohio University Journalism School Director Eddith Dashiell talked about how the university's journalism school did not give out 12 race-based scholarships totaling $46,000 last year after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled against race-conscious admissions in 2023. More than 800 people submit testimony against Ohio's massive higher education overhaul bill 'The diversity scholarships weren't designed to discriminate against white students,' she said. 'The diversity scholarships were designed to encourage more students of color to come to little old, white Athens, Ohio and get a quality education.' S.B. 1 will be detrimental to Ohio's higher education, Dashiell said. 'If it hadn't been for an extra effort at Ohio University to diversify the faculty, I would still be in Tennessee,' she said. 'We also urge that Governor DeWine veto this bill because it's going to hurt our students. It's going to hurt those who will benefit from diversity programs and benefit from these diversity scholarships.' Ohio State University's Chair of the Undergraduate Black Caucus Jessica Asante-Tutu said this bill runs the risk of forcing Ohioans to move out of state. 'Students learn best in environments that encourage exchanges, where ideas flow freely and where differences are respected,' she said. 'This bill stifles all of that.' As an Olentangy Liberty High School student in Delaware County, Michelle Huang said S.B. 1 hangs over her head as she thinks about applying for colleges this fall. 'The threat of this bill passing is a deterrent from us attending Ohio State in the first place,' she said. 'What DEI is actually doing is actually promoting more discourse and promoting more intellectual diversity.' Follow Capital Journal Reporter Megan Henry on Bluesky. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
