(COLUMBUS, Ohio) — The Ohio Attorney General’s Office today rejected the petition summary of a proposed constitutional amendment – titled “Protecting Ohioans’ Constitutional Rights” – that seeks to add a Section 22 to Article I of the Ohio Constitution repealing constitutional immunities in cases alleging civil rights violations by governmental units and public employees.
The Attorney General’s Office received the summary on Aug. 9, 2023.
The petitioners originally submitted the summary on May 3, 2021, under the title “Civil Action for Deprivation of Constitutional Rights” and again on Aug. 23, 2021. Thereafter, they submitted it on Nov. 22, 2022, under the title “The Ohio Civil Liberties Restoration Act” and on Feb. 27, 2023, and May 24, 2023, under the title “Protecting Ohioans’ Constitutional Rights.”
All five of these previous submissions were rejected.
The attorney general’s role in the petition process is to determine whether the language submitted is a fair and truthful summary of the proposed statute or constitutional amendment. The summary language of this most recent petition does not meet that requirement.
A response letter sent to the petitioners says, “We identified omissions and misstatements that, as a whole, would mislead a potential signer as to the actual scope and effect of the proposed amendment.”
The full text of the rejection letter and the petition can be found at here.
MEDIA CONTACT:
Hannah Hundley: 614-906-9113
-30-