U.S. District Court Judge Michael Watson issued an injunction on Aug. 31, 2024, against a provision of Ohio House Bill 1 (HB 1) that would have prohibited lawful permanent residents who are non-citizens from contributing to ballot measure campaigns.
Watson said that while Ohio has a compelling interest in preventing foreign influence over state political processes, restricting speech around ballot initiatives does not achieve that interest. He said, “Lawfully resident foreign nationals also generally enjoy First Amendment rights… [and] it also protects U.S. citizens’ right to hear those foreign nationals’ political speech.”
