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. 

Freshman Jeremiah Smith dazzled in his Ohio State debut, catching six passes for 92 yards with two touchdowns. Meanwhile, Will Howard completed 17 of 28 passes for 228 yards and three touchdowns in his first start as a Buckeye. 

The defense created all kinds of havoc, scoring two defensive touchdowns and recording five sacks and two interceptions. 

Eleven Warriors was on hand to capture the action and you can view more than 130 photos in our photo gallery at the top of the page.

RELATED Ohio State Wins Comfortably in Season Opener Against Akron, 52-6

The Ohio State Buckeyes are hosting the Akron Zips in their season opener on Saturday, and they paid Akron a handsome sum in order to make it happen.

According to Brett McMurphy of Action Network, Ohio State has given Akron $1.8 million to visit Columbus in Week 1 of the 2024 college football campaign.

That is tied for the third-highest amount that a school is paying a visiting team this year. The Buckeyes are also handing Western Michigan $1.8 million to make the trip to Ohio Stadium next weekend.

The matchup against Akron will (hopefully) just be a tune up for an Ohio State squad that is aiming to win its first national championship in a decade.

The Buckeyes are entering the season as the No. 2-ranked team in the country behind the Georgia Bulldogs and are viewed by many as the most talented club in the nation.

Ohio State is looking to erase the memory of what have been several disappointing seasons in a row. Last year, the Buckeyes made it to the Cotton Bowl, where they lost to the Missouri Tigers. They also fell to the archrival Michigan Wolverines for the third straight year.

Along with winning a national title, beating Michigan is the No. 1 goal for Ohio State every season, so the fact that the Buckeyes have come up short in that department for three consecutive campaigns is certainly weighing heavily on the minds of the Columbus faithful.

We’ll see if Ohio State can start with a bang in 2024 by hammering Akron.