Ohio
Campaign to end qualified immunity in Ohio gets final OK to begin gathering signatures
COLUMBUS, Ohio – The state Ballot Board approved an effort Wednesday to end “qualified immunity” in Ohio, clearing the road for organizers to begin gathering the 413,000 signatures required to place their proposal on a statewide ballot.
For more than a year, Republican Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost unilaterally blocked the organizers, claiming that the summary of their proposed amendment and its title were misleading, prompting intervention from the Ohio Supreme Court and a federal appellate court ruling against Yost.
But with the Ballot Board’s unanimous vote Wednesday agreeing that the proposal spans only a single subject, as the state constitution requires, organizers can begin the heavy lift of gathering signatures, which must come from 44 of 88 counties. Should they succeed, voters could enshrine the new rules in the state constitution via a simple majority vote.
If enacted, the new amendment would lower the legal bar for people to successfully sue government employees for constitutional violations – often, but not exclusively, police officers, prison workers and other law enforcement officials.
Qualified immunity is a legal doctrine that provides legal protection to government employees by only allowing lawsuits against them if a plaintiff can prove they violated a “clearly established” right, according to the Legal Information Institute at Cornell University. Ohio also has a state law that provides state and local governments a broad immunity for acts or omissions that led to injury or death, unless plaintiffs can prove the acts or omissions were “with malicious purpose, in bad faith, or in a wanton or reckless manner.”
The law reflects thinking that public workers like police officers must make fast decisions amid personal danger and deserve some amount of latitude.
Under the proposed amendment, a government actor could be found liable in a lawsuit for violations of constitutional rights if it’s proven by a preponderance of the evidence that a right was violated. It’s an easier standard to meet and would likely result in more successful lawsuits alleging things like the excessive use of force by officers.
Mark Brown, a constitutional law professor at Capital University who represented the organizers in their various lawsuits to defeat the early stage political opposition, told the Ballot Board that the proposal is simple in its aims. While the law enables criminal accountability for government wrongdoing, he said it is astonishingly rare for government employees to be held accountable for their violations of constitutional rights. He estimated that one tenth of 1% of lawsuits alleging constitutional violations by government officials succeed.
While the suits often revolve around law enforcement, he said it can include teachers who escape liability for the sexual abuse of students, or other government officials never held accountable for First Amendment violations regarding free speech or religious expression.
“The overall objective behind this initiative is compensation, deterrence, and protection,” he said.
While the hearing was ostensibly limited to whether the proposal spans a single or multiple subjects, it quickly delved into a debate on the merits ending qualified immunity.
Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose, a Republican, suggested the amendment would trigger a flood of frivolous lawsuits and act as a “reverse tort reform” forcing cities to pay out huge judgements they can’t afford. Ohio Sen. Theresa Gavarone, a Bowling Green Republican who sits on the board, at one point suggested the amendment spans as many as nine different subjects, but ultimately voted that it indeed complies with the single subject rule.
Several members of the public testified in support of the proposal. One woman said her son was murdered by an officer in 2017, and the amendment would pave a legal road to hold that officer to financial account for his crime. Another man, who said he was one of the plaintiffs suing Ohio State University after its physician sexually abused hundreds of students and student athletes in the 1980s and 1990s, said he wants the amendment to trump current laws that might shield now-Congressman Jim Jordan, formerly an assistant wrestling coach, who they have said failed to act on knowledge of the physician’s abuse. Jordan has denied he knew about the abuse.
Jake Zuckerman covers state politics and policy for Cleveland.com and The Plain Dealer.
YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio (MyValleyTributes) – Mrs. Mary Lucille Young, 74, of Youngstown, departed this life on Friday, April 10, 2026 at her residence where God welcomed her home.
Mary, affectionately known as “Mary Lou” and “Tang”, was born March 8, 1952 in Youngstown, a daughter of Lawrence and Ada Mae Alexander Hamilton Young.
She was a proud 1971 graduate of South High School.
Mary was a member of New Bethel Baptist Church.
She attended Louis Weinberger Hill Beauty School, and was accepted as a model with Barbizon Modeling Agency.
Mary worked and retired from Youngstown Sheet and Tube.
She enjoyed looking her best, dancing, shopping, casinos and decorating her home. Mary was strong, bold and took no mess. She was loved by many people.
She leaves to cherish her memories, her pride and joy, two daughters, Adalatesha Bright and Richlynn Bright; two sons, Ja-Juan Young and Dr. Ty-Juan Bright all of Youngstown; five grandchildren; two sisters, Cynthia (Floyd) Davis, Janet (Steve) Gardner both of Youngstown; and a host of family and friends.
Besides her parents, she was preceded in death by a son, Michael Lamar Young; three brothers, Isaiah, Edward, Lorenzo Young.
Private services were held at the L.E. Black, Phillips & Holden Funeral Home.
To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Mary Lucille Young, please visit our floral store.
The NWSL is once again expanding, this time the league is heading to Ohio where Columbus NWSL 2028 will take the field. Of course, Columbus NWSL 2028 is a placeholder for now and the the new team will unveil its name, crest, and uniform to build an identity around as it approaches its first season.
News of the club was announced yesterday, though this has been in the works for some time, in a press conference. Team owners, the Haslam Sports Group (HSG), Nationwide and Drs. Christine and Pete Edwards, spoke about what they hope the club will bring to Columbus and women’s soccer more broadly.
“Our family is thrilled to help bring an NWSL team to Columbus and further invest in Ohio, with the honor of bringing the 18th team into the league,” said Haslam Sports Group Managing Partner Whitney Haslam Johnson. “We believe in the power of women’s sports and are humbled to be part of the number one women’s soccer league in the world.”
Nationwide insurance has been a corporate partner in both NWSL and MLS for years and now joins an ownership group deepening those ties. “Today’s announcement is about inspiring young athletes across Central Ohio, elevating women’s professional sports and reminding the world that Columbus is a first-class sports city,” said Kirt Walker, Nationwide Chief Executive Officer. “As Nationwide marks 100 years, this is a powerful way to celebrate our milestone with the community that has been our home from the very beginning.”
The Edwards family has deep roots in the Columbus soccer scene with Dr. Pete Edwards serving as team doctor for the Crew in 1996 and the family joining the team’s ownership in 2019 during the Save The Crew effort. “Columbus is very important to our family. For over 30 years, we’ve supported the Columbus Crew and MLS. We’ve seen how a men’s professional soccer team has brought people together and created a positive impact in our community. It’s truly special to now welcome an NWSL club and the incredible women athletes who will also uplift our city on and off the pitch,” said Dr. Christine Edwards. “We’re very excited to partner with Haslam Sports Group and Nationwide for NWSL Columbus 2028, and we can’t wait to share even more memorable moments with fans, especially during the Club’s first game at ScottsMiracle-Gro Field.”
The NWSL has continued its expansion with the announcement and the team will join Atlanta in its inaugural season in two years.
Ohio
Ex-Ohio State president Ted Carter’s girlfriend would sneak through campus garage to get to his office, report reveals
Disgraced ex-Ohio State President Ted Carter repeatedly snuck his alleged failing podcaster lover through a campus garage for secret visits to his office as he funneled university resources into her business ventures, a shocking new report claims.
The report into the circumstances behind Carter’s abrupt exit from his cushy $1.5 million-a-year role last month detailed his secret office rendezvous with Krisanthe Vlachos, host of “The Callout Podcast,” and at least five trips he took with her.
The duo jetted off to Richmond, Virginia; Orlando, Florida; Kansas City, Missouri; Colorado Springs, Colorado; and Las Vegas – with the married 66-year-old allegedly cooking up a fake business excuse for one trip, the report released Tuesday by the college found.
One social media post showed the pair at a Colorado Springs conference in January, with the ex-prez smiling next to Vlachos, who is clad in an all-black leather getup.
Carter – married to Lynda Carter for nearly 45 years – admitted giving Vlachos “inappropriate access” to university leadership and public resources to boost her private business when he voluntarily resigned.
The probe found he tapped at least 14 staffers to help his purported paramour, who hosted a veteran-focused podcast, including efforts to score her a university job, campus space, support staff, and financial backing from the school and outside agencies like JobsOhio for different business ventures.
“Carter’s actions betrayed Ohio State’s shared values and violated university policy,” the 47-page report said, adding his “wide-ranging” efforts dragged on for almost two years.
“Carter had a close personal and business relationship with Vlachos and he allowed that relationship to improperly influence his actions and impair his judgement.”
JobsOhio shelled out $60,000 to the prexy’s reported flame to produce four podcast episodes about veteran issues – though only one was completed, the agency said last month.
The company, which said its decision to invest was driven by Carter’s recommendation, is now trying to “clawback” the funds after all of Vlacho’s poorly performing podcast episodes were hastily removed from YouTube and other streamers when the scandal erupted.
Carter – who served as a Top Gun pilot and instructor during 38 years in the Navy – admitted in one episode he was a “frequent flyer” on the floundering show, appearing as a guest at least nine times since 2024.
JobsOhio also dished out $10,000 to sponsor a January 2025 event for vets and military families at Ohio State, calling it an “opportunity that Ms. Vlachos brought our attention.”
The agency’s handouts for Vlachos came to an end after she requested a $2.9 million investment in her proposed mobile app, which aimed to help Ohio veterans get jobs.
An Ohio State spokesman previously confirmed officials were investigating an LLC registered to Vlachos at a university-owned building, in connection with the ex-leader’s departure.
Carter and Vlachos have not responded publicly to the relationship allegations.
With Post wires.
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