Ohio
A judge puts a short-term pause on HB 68 in Ohio prior to its effective date J
COLUMBUS, Ohio (Statehouse News Bureau) — A judge in Franklin County put a short-term pause Tuesday on House Bill 68, a statewide ban on gender-affirming care for trans minors that would have taken effect in less than two weeks, according to court documents.
Attorneys with the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Ohio and Ohio Attorney General’s Office laid out their cases for and against a temporary restraining order Friday morning in the Franklin County Court of Common Pleas in front of Judge Michael Holbrook—who has set bond in the case at $50,000, according to court documents.Holbrook wrote in his 15-page ruling that he found the plaintiffs’ arguments “more persuasive.”
“Beyond the legal framework addressing the threat to plaintiffs’ constitutional rights … there is little doubt as to the irreparable nature of the actual physical injury to plaintiffs,” he wrote. “There is certainly a point where the changes to the body as a result of the progression of puberty cannot be reversed.”
Filed by the ACLU in March, the original lawsuit seeks to block HB 68 from going into effect on schedule and at all. It is on behalf of two 12-year-old transgender Ohio girls and their families, one from Hamilton County and one from Franklin County, and argues they would lose “critical, medically necessary health care” under HB 68.
The legislation in question blocks trans minors from access to gender-affirming care and from participating in girls’ athletics. HB 68 also bars physicians from prescribing hormones and puberty blockers to minors and creates penalties for those who do. The bill also mandates that K-12 and collegiate teams in Ohio be “single-sex” and enables athletes to bring forth civil lawsuits against any institution that violates that mandate.
But ACLU of Ohio Legal Director Freda Levenson argued Friday that without immediate enjoinment of the soon-to-be law, transition treatments will pause statewide—including for the two girls in the suit, whose identities have been concealed.
“The sad truth is that the plaintiffs will also suffer immediate, very palpable harms,” she said in court Friday.
In a statement following the ruling, Levenson said she was “thrilled and relieved” by the win, but that the legal battle will go on.
Attorney General Dave Yost, in an statement, said he’s confident the final ruling will be in the state’s favor.
“This is just the first page of the book. We will fight vigorously to defend this properly enacted statute, which protects our children from irrevocable adult decisions,” he wrote.
Erik Clark, with Yost’s office, on Friday questioned the rush. Clark said the court proceedings should play out normally so the state can make its full case for why the new law is necessary.
“We believe that people of goodwill have differing views on how to handle this difficult situation,” Clark said in court Friday. “We believe parents, doctors, children, youth coaches can disagree, and they can disagree in goodwill.”
More broadly, the ACLU of Ohio is arguing that HB 68 goes against the Ohio Constitution by breaking a single-subject rule for legislation and discriminating against trans minors, among other claims. Last June, two individual proposals become one when the Ohio House folded House Bill 6, the single-sex athletics requirement, into HB 68.
“The legislature made no effort even to pretend there was one subject,” Levenson said. “It didn’t even bother to come up with a unified title.”
But Clark argued the bill, in its entirety, addresses trans youth issues. Holbrook didn’t buy that.
“The very title of the Act references two subjects,” he wrote.
The ACLU has also cited the recently-ratified Issue 1, which codified abortion rights in the state constitution, as something that extends to the potential protection of gender-affirming care.
Clark said doctors don’t have the power to wholly self-regulate, under the Health Care Freedom Act or other laws. “In one medical situation, maybe you’ll get steroids, in a different situation it may not be okay. Who makes these rules? The legislature, just as they always have,” Clark said.
HB 68 would have taken effect next Wednesday, but this order blocks it for at least two weeks, until Holbrook decides on a preliminary injunction—a more permanent pause as court proceedings play out.
The Oregon Ducks and coach Dan Lanning have lost out on a top offensive lineman target for their 2027 recruiting class.
On Friday, four-star interior offensive lineman Caden Moss committed to the Ohio State Buckeyes, per On3’s Hayes Fawcett. The 6-5, 320-pound offensive lineman from Jackson Academy in Mississippi chose the Buckeyes over Oregon, Ole Miss, LSU, and Kentucky.
In his commitment post on Instagram, Moss said, “Go Bucks, I’m home.” Moss arrives at Ohio State rated as the No. 72 overall player nationally and No. 7 offensive tackle in the 2027 recruiting class, per 247Sports Composite rankings.
How Moss Commitment Impacts Oregon’s 2027 Recruiting Class Ranking
Despite the loss of Moss to their 2027 recruiting class, the Ducks are ahead of the Buckeyes in the rankings, per 247Sports. The Ducks are No. 6 in the 2027 recruiting class rankings, while the Buckeyes are two spots behind Oregon at No. 8 overall in the country.
The Ducks and Buckeyes, the way things stand at the end of June, have the two best 2027 recruiting classes in the Big Ten and are the only schools from the conference currently ranked inside the top 10. Oregon, however, has four more commits than Ohio State following Moss’ commitment to the Buckeyes on Friday.
The four Big Ten teams behind the Ducks and Buckeyes, but inside the top 20 of the 2027 recruiting class rankings, per 247Sports, include the Penn State Nittany Lions (No. 13), USC Trojans (No. 14), UCLA Bruins (No. 16), and Nebraska Cornhuskers (No. 18).
Oregon and Ohio State’s 2027 recruiting classes are very similar as they both have 11 total blue-chip commits, per 247Sports, including two five-stars and nine four-stars.
Oregon 2027 Offensive Line Commits
While wide receiver Dakota Guerrant and edge rusher Rashad Streets are Oregon’s two five-star commits in the 2027 recruiting class, the Ducks have four offensive line commits despite the loss of Moss to coach Ryan Day and the Buckeyes.
Offensive lineman commits in the Ducks’ 2027 recruiting class include a pair of four-star recruits, Gus Corsair and Cameron Wagner. Three-star commits Avery Michael and Lex Mailangi also highlight the offensive line commits in the Ducks’ 2027 recruiting class.
Over the course of his four seasons as coach of the Ducks, Oregon has been known for its efficient offensive line play, building one of the best groups in the country. In the last four seasons, the Ducks have been the only school to have their offensive line named a semifinalist for the Joe Moore Award.
With the commits in Oregon’s 2027 recruiting class, along with the returners that the Ducks have for the 2026 season, the offensive line looks to continue that trend heading into a year with national championship expectations.
As for the Buckeyes, Ohio State hopes that a dominant offensive lineman can help it continue to be a Big Ten championship and national title contender consistently, as it looks to avenge last season’s loss to the Miami Hurricanes in the CFP Quarterfinal at the Cotton Bowl.
Sign up to our free newsletter and follow us on Facebook, X and Instagram for the latest news.
Add us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow
And because of those very distinct emotional states, you’d never know that the Mariners’
Bruce Thornton was already grateful the Houston Rockets traded up with the New York Knicks to take him, but the former Ohio State star also quickly realized there was another incentive to landing in Texas.
After being projected by many mock drafts in the late 40s or early 50s entering the week, the Buckeyes’ all-time leading scorer sounds more than ready for his opportunity in Houston. He met with the media following the selection.
Were you anxious going into the night not knowing where you would land?
Bruce: For me, I’m not picky at all. Whoever wanted me and gave me, a kid from Fairburn, Georgia, an opportunity, I would be very blessed and very grateful. I’m so thankful for the Houston Rockets just taking a chance on me. And I’m going to do everything I can in my power to be the best player I can be for the Houston Rockets.
Did you know that you weren’t going to the Knicks at all?
Bruce: I knew at the last minute. Somebody said I got the wrong hat. I’m like, “What do you mean?” Then I heard the Houston Rockets. I’m like, “No state tax, so that’s even better.”
How does being a four-time team captain prepare you for the expectations of leadership as an NBA point guard?
Bruce: First, I want to thank my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, because without him, I wouldn’t be here right now. But for my experiences at Ohio State, being a four-year guy, it definitely helped me. The experience of just going through college, going through life and the stuff that you just go through, it definitely helped me prepare to talk to grown men at this level. But I feel like the experience I have at Ohio State is going to prepare me to be the best player I can be as a Houston Rocket.
What was the biggest challenge you had to overcome in order to get to this point in your life right now?
Bruce: I feel like for me, from a basketball standpoint, I didn’t make it to March Madness my first three years of college. A lot of people chose to leave and make better situations to get to March Madness, but I just wanted to do it at Ohio State. So I did everything I could. My coaching staff helped me. I did a lot of praying, using my faith to the best of my ability, and I got through it my senior year. One of the best feelings, I ever decided to stay at Ohio State for all four years.
Throughout your basketball journey, is there someone that you’ve considered a mentor or looked up to that shaped the player you are today?
Bruce: First, my mother. She sacrificed so much. She also played at the University of Georgia, so she taught me a lot of things like handling the cookie jar, make sure you hold your follow through, boxing out, stuff I didn’t want to hear at all. But she definitely helped me.
And my friends from back home. It was all of our dream to be in the NBA. And for them to have my support, and having a great support cast throughout this journey was a big thing. The village I had behind me throughout this journey really helped me get to the point I am right now.
When Rockets fans start watching you professionally, is there a part of your game that you think will surprise them the most?
Bruce: I think I’m a winner. I want to win everything I possibly can. I’m trying to impact winning. For me, I feel like everybody eats when everybody wins. So I do everything I can. Whatever they ask me to do, I’m going to make sure I do it at a high level and with a great attitude.
When people look back at your career 10 or 15 years from now, what do you hope they remember most about you?
Bruce: I just hope I’m just a kid that gave everything I got each and every night. When I put that jersey on, I’m just going to perform at the best I can each and every night. I’m never going to quit. I’m never going to stop giving up. So I hope everybody can take that one thing from me, that when you have the opportunity, take full advantage of it.
What do you think you will bring to the Houston Rockets in terms of your attitude, work ethic and willingness to get one percent better each and every day?
Bruce: I think it starts on defense. Me just getting to the ball, being disruptive and making big-time shots. We got great players like Sengun and KD at a very high level. So me just filling in my role at a high level, doing the things they need me to do and just impacting winning as much as I possibly can, and being a great teammate in the locker room.
What is the biggest adjustment you expect to have to make in the NBA?
Bruce: The biggest adjustment is probably playing over 100 games in a year. There’s a deep playoff team this year. So [it’s up to] me just adjusting my body, having the time management skills to play over 100 games and try to win a championship.
Follow
-
Los Angeles, Ca1 hour agoAbout 20 detained after armed suspect call sparks LAPD response in Koreatown
-
Detroit, MI1 hour agoWith Jack Flaherty returning, AJ Hinch ponders Tigers’ starting rotation
-
San Francisco, CA2 hours agoServing up a slice of Palestine at Old Jerusalem in the Mission District
-
Dallas, TX2 hours agoAll-day restaurant and patio coming to Dallas’ Knox and more top stories
-
Miami, FL2 hours agoBugtopia takes center stage at Zoo Miami
-
Boston, MA2 hours agoWhat JJ Peterka Will Add to the Bruins’ Roster, ‘He’s Got an Elite Shot’ | Boston Bruins
-
Denver, CO2 hours agoThis Boulder farm dinner serves up midsummer Slavic vibes with James Beard-worthy fare
-
Videos2 hours agoDestruction in Venezuela after deadly earthquakes | BBC News
