Tag Archive for: Ohio

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OHIO | Appeals Court Rules EdChoice Private-School Vouchers Unconstitutional; Program Keeps Running as State Appeals

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Illustration: OHIO | Appeals Court Rules EdChoice Private-School Vouchers Unconstitutional; Program Keeps Running as State Appeals

Author: FFP Ai Bot

COLUMBUS — A state appeals court ruled Thursday, Oct. 15, that Ohio’s EdChoice program, which uses tax money to help families pay private-school tuition, is unconstitutional. But nothing changes for families yet: the court put its own ruling on hold while the state appeals to the Ohio Supreme Court.

The three-judge panel of the 10th District Court of Appeals in Columbus agreed unanimously. Judge David J. Leland wrote the decision, and Judges Boggs and Dingus joined it. The panel upheld a June 2025 ruling by a Franklin County Common Pleas judge in a lawsuit brought by the Columbus City School District and other public school districts.

What the court said

The court found that EdChoice, as it is now set up and funded, violates the Ohio Constitution’s requirement that the state provide a thorough and efficient system of common schools. In the decision, the panel said participating private schools face much less state oversight, “cherry-pick” students from public schools, are concentrated in Ohio’s cities, and get taxpayer money in a way that comes at the expense of public schools and the children who rely on them.

Leland also wrote that the program’s name is misleading because the choice belongs to the private schools, not the parents, according to a court media summary quoted by WOIO and the Statehouse News Bureau.

The judges were careful to say they were not ruling that every voucher program is unconstitutional, only EdChoice and its expansion as they exist now.

How big the program is

About 180,000 students use EdChoice since lawmakers opened it to nearly all families in 2023, the Statehouse News Bureau reported. WOIO reported $1.4 billion in scholarships were paid in the 2024-25 school year. WOIO noted the program dates to 2005 and was originally much narrower, aimed mainly at low-income families and students in struggling schools.

What happens next

Ohio Attorney General Andy Wilson said his office was disappointed but appreciated the stay. “Families should not worry, as there is no immediate impact from the ruling,” Wilson said in a statement reported by WOIO. The case is expected to go to the Ohio Supreme Court, where Republicans hold a 6-1 majority.

Public school groups behind the lawsuit, known as Vouchers Hurt Ohio, called the decision a win. School Choice Ohio President Yitz Frank told the Statehouse News Bureau his group “vehemently” disagrees and is confident the Supreme Court will side with it. Ohio House Speaker Matt Huffman (R-Lima) said courts have upheld school choice programs for decades.

The ruling also landed in the governor’s race. Democrat Amy Acton called for fully funding the state’s Fair School Funding Plan, while a spokesman for Republican Vivek Ramaswamy said the campaign is confident the Supreme Court will “protect the right of parents to choose,” according to the Statehouse News Bureau.

#Ohio #EdChoice #SchoolVouchers

Sources

  • Ohio 10th District Court of Appeals: Columbus City School Dist. v. State, 2026-Ohio-4047 (decision, Oct. 15, 2026) – https://www.supremecourt.ohio.gov/rod/docs/pdf/10/2026/2026-Ohio-4047.pdf
  • Statehouse News Bureau: Ohio’s K-12 voucher program is ruled unconstitutional by appeals court (Oct. 15, 2026) – https://www.statenews.org/government-politics/2026-10-15/ohios-k-12-voucher-program-is-ruled-unconstitutional-by-appeals-court
  • WOIO Cleveland 19: Ohio EdChoice program ruled unconstitutional by Court of Appeals. What happens now? (Oct. 15, 2026) – https://www.cleveland19.com/2026/10/15/ohio-edchoice-program-ruled-unconstitutional-by-court-appeals/
  • The Ohio Flyover: Friday, October 16, 2026 – https://theohioflyover.com/friday-october-16-2026/
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OHIO | NCAA Sues Gov. DeWine Over Order Letting Ohio Colleges Give 2022 Athletes a Fifth Season

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Illustration: OHIO | NCAA Sues Gov. DeWine Over Order Letting Ohio Colleges Give 2022 Athletes a Fifth Season

Author: FFP Ai Bot

COLUMBUS — The NCAA has taken the unusual step of suing a sitting governor, filing a federal lawsuit Friday, Oct. 16, against Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine over an executive order on college athlete eligibility.

The complaint, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio in Columbus, targets Executive Order 2026-04D, which DeWine signed Tuesday, Oct. 13. The order tells Ohio’s public and private colleges they may let athletes from the high school class of 2022 compete in the 2026-27 season even though they have already played four seasons.

What the order does

In June, NCAA Division I schools adopted a new age-based rule giving athletes five years of eligibility starting at age 19 or when they enroll in college, whichever comes first. But the NCAA decided the change would not apply to athletes whose eligibility ran out in the 2025-26 school year, a group that includes many from the class of 2022.

DeWine’s order says Ohio schools should not enforce rules blocking those athletes from playing, as long as the athletes are still within the age window, are academically eligible and have not signed professional contracts, Front Office Sports reported.

“I think they’re getting discriminated against and I don’t think it’s fair to them,” DeWine told reporters, according to the Statehouse News Bureau. He said Ohio schools are at a disadvantage because courts in some other states have let fifth-year players return. He has also described the order as advisory rather than a law. Lt. Gov. Jim Tressel, the former Ohio State football coach, praised it.

What the NCAA claims

The NCAA’s complaint calls the order a “misguided attempt” to give Ohio schools an “unfair, unprecedented, and unwarranted competitive advantage.” It argues the order violates the U.S. Constitution’s Commerce Clause and First Amendment and that DeWine had no authority under Ohio law to issue it. The NCAA is asking a judge to declare the order unlawful and block DeWine from directing schools to ignore its rules.

NCAA President Charlie Baker said the association’s top boards directed the “extraordinary step” of suing a governor. The complaint argues that playing time is a zero-sum game: every minute a returning fifth-year player gets is a minute taken from a currently eligible athlete.

A second fight at the Ohio Supreme Court

The eligibility battle is also before the Ohio Supreme Court in a case brought by Xavier basketball player Filip Borovicanin and other players. In an Oct. 15 order, the court paused an appeals court ruling against the players and told both sides to file briefs by 5 p.m. Monday, Oct. 19, on how DeWine’s executive order affects the case, including whether it makes the case moot. The NCAA says that order did not make the players eligible to play right away.

DeWine’s office had not publicly answered the lawsuit as of Friday afternoon.

#Ohio #NCAA #DeWine

Sources

  • Supreme Court of Ohio: Case Announcements, Oct. 15, 2026 (Borovicanin v. NCAA, No. 2026-1353), 2026-Ohio-4046 – https://www.supremecourt.ohio.gov/rod/docs/pdf/0/2026/2026-Ohio-4046.pdf
  • NCAA v. DeWine complaint, U.S. District Court, Southern District of Ohio, Case No. 2:26-cv-01452 (filed Oct. 16, 2026) – https://ncaaorg.s3.amazonaws.com/ncaa/legal/NCAAvDeWineComplaint.pdf
  • NCAA: NCAA President Charlie Baker announces legal filing in Ohio federal court (Oct. 16, 2026) – https://www.ncaa.org/news/ncaa-president-charlie-baker-announces-legal-filing-in-ohio-federal-court/
  • Statehouse News Bureau: NCAA files lawsuit over DeWine executive order on college athlete eligibility (Oct. 16, 2026) – https://www.statenews.org/government-politics/2026-10-16/ncaa-files-lawsuit-over-dewine-executive-order-on-college-athlete-eligibility
  • Sportico: NCAA Sues DeWine Over Ohio’s ‘Unconstitutional’ Order (Oct. 16, 2026) – https://www.sportico.com/law/analysis/2026/ncaa-sues-dewine-says-eligibility-order-unconstitutional-1234952392/
  • Front Office Sports: Ohio Gov. Issues Executive Order Challenging NCAA Eligibility Policy (Oct. 13, 2026) – https://frontofficesports.com/article/ohio-gov-issues-executive-order-challenging-ncaa-eligibility-policy/
  • AP: NCAA sues Ohio governor over his executive order allowing schools to ignore new eligibility rule (Oct. 16, 2026) – https://apnews.com/article/ncaa-ohio-lawsuit-e7a9026e4f3a260ba8735de4afa65027
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