Ohio
Judge blocks Ohio ban on foreign nationals, green card holders contributing to ballot campaigns
A judge ruled Saturday that the Ohio law, which was set to take effect Sunday, violated the First Amendment rights of non-U.S. citizens living here legally
A federal judge blocked Ohio’s ban on foreign nationals and green card holders contributing to ballot campaigns.
U.S. District Court Judge Michael H. Watson ruled Saturday that the Ohio law, which was set to take effect Sunday, violated the First Amendment rights of non-U.S. citizens living here legally, often known as green card holders.
Watson concluded that Ohio lawmakers have a legitimate interest in protecting ballot issues from foreign influence, but this law missed the mark.
For example, the law doesn’t limit foreign companies from contributing to ballot measures. Instead, it likely violates the rights of lawful permanent residents, who live in the United States indefinitely and can serve in the military.
“If the U.S. Federal Government trusts LPRs [lawful permanent residents] to put U.S. interests first in the military (of all places), how could this Court hold that it does not trust them to promote U.S. interests in their political spending? It cannot,” wrote Watson, who was appointed to the court by former President George W. Bush.
Ohio lawmakers added a ban on foreign contributions to ballot campaigns to a bill changing the deadline for presidential nominees to make the Ohio ballot. Democrats scheduled their national convention this year after Ohio’s initial deadline, necessitating the change.
There already was a ban in Ohio on candidate donations.
The penalty for these contributions is a fine of at least $10,000 or three times the amount contributed and a first-degree misdemeanor for the first offense or a fifth-degree felony for repeat offenses. The Ohio attorney general is tasked with investigating and prosecuting these crimes.
When the bill was moving through the Legislature, Republican lawmakers like Rep. Bill Seitz, of Green Township, and Sen. Niraj Antani, of Miamisburg, warned that a judge could decide that they had overstepped.
“Green card holders absolutely have the right to freedom of speech,” Antani said before the vote. “And absolutely, donating to campaigns and candidates is free speech. This is going to get mucked up in the courts.”
Antani’s words proved prescient on Saturday.
Watson wrote: “Not only does the First Amendment protect lawful resident foreign nationals as speakers, but it also protects U.S. citizens’ right to hear those foreign nationals’ political speech.”
The lawsuit challenging Ohio’s ban on foreign spending was filed by OPAWL – Building AAPI Feminist Leadership, Northeast Ohio Coalition for the Homeless, a German citizen and her husband who live in northeast Ohio and a Canadian citizen who lives in Silver Lake by the Elias Law Group and Cooper Elliott.
Read the decision:
Jessie Balmert covers state government and politics for the USA TODAY Network Ohio Bureau, which serves the Columbus Dispatch, Cincinnati Enquirer, Akron Beacon Journal and 18 other affiliated news organizations across Ohio.
Another state is jumping into the fray to put the brakes on non-domiciled CDLs, with roughly 5,000 commercial drivers in Ohio facing the potential of having their licenses downgraded.
On Friday, May 29, the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles announced it would be contacting approximately 5,000 non-domiciled CDL holders to verify the status of their credentials under updated rules from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.
According to the Bureau, non-domiciled license holders in the state will receive one of two notices, depending on the type of documentation they initially used to obtain their CDL.
For drivers whose documentation meets current FMCSA standards, their licenses will remain valid until their expiration date. For those who do not meet current standards, the process is a bit more complicated.
As for CDL holders whose original documents do not meet current FMCSA guidelines, they will receive a notice of downgrade, and their CDLs will be downgraded to a Class D license 30 days after receiving the notice.
Drivers who receive a downgrade notice can request a hearing with the BMV to dispute the downgrade, and can provide additional documentation to prove their eligibility. According to the Bureau, those documents include:
- An unexpired Employment Authorization Document issued by USCIS, valid on the most recent CDL/CLP issuance date
- An unexpired foreign passport with an unexpired USCIS I‑94 form, both of which must be valid on your most recent CDL/CLP issuance date
Officials said the Ohio BMV has not issued or renewed any non-domiciled CDLs since FMCSA put new standards in place in 2025, and that it does not intend to resume issuing non-domiciled CDLs in the future. Additionally, the BMV will not renew revalidated non-domiciled CDLs after they expire.
All notices will be sent by mail to the address listed on file with the Ohio BMV. The Bureau emphasized that the reverification process does not apply to full CDL holders or CDL holders with legally established permanent residence. LL
2026 U20 World Team Trials
At Geneva, Ohio, May 29
Best-of-Three Final Results
57 kg
Isaiah Cortez (Spartan Combat RTC/ TMWC) defeats Grey Burnett (Burnett Trained Wrestling), two matches to none
Round 1 – Cortez dec. Burnett, 5-1
Round 2 – Cortez tech. fall Burnett, 10-0
61 kg
Aaron Seidel (SERTC- TMWC) defeats Elijah Cortez (Spartan Combat RTC/ TMWC), two matches to none
Round 1 – Seidel tech. fall Cortez, 10-0
Round 2 – Seidel tech. fall Cortez, 10-0
65 kg
Bo Bassett (Titan Mercury Wrestling Club (TMWC)) defeats Clinton Shepherd (Howe Wrestling School, LLC), two matches to none
Round 1 – Bassett fall Shepherd, 2:40
Round 2 – Bassett tech. fall Shepherd, 10-0
70 kg
Landon Robideau (Cowboy RTC) defeats Melvin Miller (Titan Mercury Wrestling Club (TMWC)), two matches to none
Round 1 – Robideau dec. Miller, 5-0
Round 2 – Robideau tech. fall, 12-0
74 kg
Jayden James (KD Training Center/ TMWC) defeats Ladarion Lockett (Cowboy RTC), two matches to none
Round 1 – James dec. Lockett, 5-4
Round 2 – James dec. Lockett, 4-2
79 kg
Ryan Burton (SERTC- TMWC) defeats Joseph Jeter (Position Wrestling), two matches to none
Round 1 – Burton dec. Jeter, 10-7
Round 2 – Burton dec. Jeter, 8-1
86 kg
Aeoden Sinclair (Tiger Style Wrestling Club) defeats Brock Mantanona (Cliff Keen Wrestling Club), two matches to none
Round 1 – Sinclair dec. Mantanona, 6-0
Round 2 – Sinclair tech. fall Mantanona, 10-0
92 kg
Jimmy Mastny (Relentless Training Center) defeats Karson Tompkins (Air Force Regional Training Center), two matches to none
Round 1 – Mastny fall Tompkins, 3:31
Round 2 – Mastny tech. fall Tompkins, 10-0
97 kg
Michael Boyle (Ohio Crazy Goats Wrestling Club) defeats Garett Kawczynski (Askren Wrestling Academy), two matches to none
Round 1 – Boyle tech. fall Kawczynski, 10-0
Round 2 – Boyle tech. fall Kawczynski, 10-0
125 kg
Dreshaun Ross (Cowboy RTC) defeats Coby Merrill (NYAC), two matches to one
Round 1 – Merrill tech. fall Ross, 11-0
Round 2 – Ross dec. Merrill 9-2
Round 3 – Ross dec. Merrill, 7-1
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WSYX) — A Central Ohio family has filed a lawsuit against a Hilliard funeral home after their mother was accidentally cremated, despite plans for her to be buried.
According to court documents, Tidd Funeral Home cremated Nancy Anders in June of last year against the family’s wishes. The lawsuit states Anders died a week earlier in May.
The family says Anders had planned and prepaid for funeral arrangements two years before her death to be buried with her late husband. The arrangements did not include cremation because, the family says, she did not believe in the concept.
The lawsuit says the family was told a week after her death that she had been accidentally cremated. It also accuses Tidd Funeral Home of cremating her even though the proper authorization form was never signed.
The family says they have suffered physical illness and emotional trauma and are seeking $25,000 in damages. They are also asking for the case to be decided by a jury.
ABC 6 reached out to the funeral home for comment but had not heard back.
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