(9-2-24) On Saturday U.S. District Court Judge Michael H. Watson blocked Ohio’s ban on foreign nationals and green card holders not being allowed to contribute to ballot campaigns.

The law was set to take effect yesterday…Judge Watson said that the law violated the First Amendment rights of non-U.S. citizens living here legally, often known as green card holders.

The suit was filed on behalf of OPAWL – Building AAPI Feminist Leadership, the Northeast Ohio Coalition for the Homeless, a German citizen and her husband who live in Cleveland and a Canadian citizen who lives in Silver Lake, a suburb of Kent. OPAWL is an organization of Asian, Asian American and Pacific Islander women and nonbinary people in Ohio.

What is…OPAWL is a grassroots member-led community organization dedicated to social justice. We are building a strong intersectional feminist community with the purpose of building power and progressive leadership in Ohio. Founded in Central Ohio in 2016 under the original name “Ohio Progressive Asian Women’s Leadership”, we are now called OPAWL – Building AAPI Feminist Leadership.

Watson said that Ohio lawmakers have a legitimate interest in protecting ballot issues from foreign influence, but this law was not acceptable.

Attorney General Dave Yost said after the ruling:

“We believe the court should have limited its remedy to the only constitutional problem it identified: restricting spending by legally present foreign nationals. We will seek clarification of the court’s order and are weighing further appeal.”